Microhistories of the Mundane: 10 Books About Everyday Stuff

This October, author Nicholas A. Basbanes’ book, On Paper, examines the biography of arguably one of the most significant and impactful inventions in human history: paper. All two thousand years of its evolution is documented in 450 pages. (It would seem wrong somehow to read those pages electronically, rather than as ink-on-paper, wouldn’t it?) Paper is such an everyday material, a prolific tool that we hardly even notice it. But in fact it does warrant 450 pages – and likely much more, had Basbanes publisher allowed it – as do many other mundane, seemingly inconsequential objects in our lives.

These case studies – often called microhistories – refer to an intensive investigation of small units, usually of individuals, objects or processes. On Paper is just the latest in a string of these microhistories that populate our bookshelves. Mary Roach has made a career of her examinations on everything from digestion (Gulp) to sex (Bonk) to the afterlife (Spook). But even Roach’s topics seem wide-ranging when compared to some of the micro-micro-histories on the market.

Many of these can be categorized; there are an inordinate number about food (including beverages), animals, words, and everyday objects. It would be easy to make a list of 50 books that dissect the history of just one thing, but some of these micro-histories are better than others. Interested in diving into the world of the mundane?

Here are 10 books about very ordinary, everyday things to get you started. (I was going to summarize each of these books, and then I realized everything you need to know is in the title and the subtitle):

1. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
2. The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski
3. Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages by Anne Mendelson