Nonficiton Book Recommendation

"The Perfection of the Paper Clip:

Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession"

by James Ward

    Are you as obsessed with stationery and office supplies as I am (and as James Ward is)? Is a trip to Staples more like a trip to a theme park for you? If you're like me, you love "boring things." You can't help but drool over a brand new binder or pack of pens. I just started reading this fascinating book by a stationery connoisseur and am already in love with it.

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    Ward recalls his childhood spent in stationery stores instead of toy stores. Those weren't interesting to him, he said. He'd rather spend hours perusing the collection of pens and other office supplies in his local stationery store, an experience I can relate to surprisingly well. Pen stores were always a treat to go to, just to look at all the interesting stationery they had there.

    The book begins by recounting the history of the paperclip and how its design was affected through the ages. How did it become what we recognize today as the standard paperclip? What problems were encountered that required a change in design? And why haven't we given the inventors of paper fasteners the recognition they deserve for changing the world entirely? I believe we take for granted this tiny piece of metal, and the book is necessary for explaining to all of us exactly how much work, time, and inventing went into the device.

    Ward then discusses the similarly interesting histories of highlighters, post-its, glue, pencils, etc. While most people may be asleep by this point (they're not any fun anyway), anyone who loves office supplies as much as I do will be avidly reading on the edge of their seat, pictures of sticky tabs and accordion files dancing in their heads.