Allow me to spot a trend: nonfiction books that center on a specific, seemingly humdrum fixture of daily life and, by plumbing the scientific/historical/philosophical implications of said fixture, give it new meaning. Mark Kurlanksyâ??s Salt, Bee Wilsonâ??s Consider the Fork, Ken Jenningsâ?? Maphead, John Bradshawâ??s Dog Sense and Cat Sense: These books, and the many others like them, seek to widen our perspectiveâ??paradoxicallyâ??by narrowing our focus to the minute, the dull, and the familiar.
And, boy, there is nothing duller or more familiar than work. The jacket description of Cubed, n+1 editor Nikil Savalâ??s new book about history of the workplace (specifically, the white-collar office), says it best: â??You mean this place we go to five days a week has a history?â? Indeed, it does: Spanning the early 1800s to the present day, and touching on subjects as far-ranging as office attire to the architecture of skyscrapers, Saval offers what may be the most comprehensive look yet at the who-what-where-when-how of work. In doing so, he hopes to â??[chronicle] the history of individuals who sought to shape the office, whether physically or sociallyâ??often with the aim of bettering the lives of individuals within it and usually achieving something far from what they intended.â?
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