Object Lessons is a series of short beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of
ordinary things. Every culture every religion every era has enshrined otherwise regular
objects with a significance which stretches beyond their literal importance. Whether the bone
of a Catholic martyr the tooth of a Buddhist lama or the cloak of a Sufi saint relics are
material conduits to the immaterial world. Yet relics aren't just a feature of religion. The
exact same sense of the transcendent animates objects of political historical and cultural
significance. From Abraham Lincoln's death mask to Vladimir Lenin's embalmed corpse Emily
Dickinson's envelopes to Jimi Hendrix's guitar pick relics are the objects which the faithful
understand as being more than just objects. Material things of sacred importance relics are
indicative of a culture's deepest values. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an
essay series in The Atlantic.
