Office Supplies And The Story of Civilization

[news]

Office Supplies And The Story of Civilization.
By Chris Wright.

There are echoes of Samuel Beckett in the work of James Ward, and of Nicholson Baker — and of Bert, from “Sesame Street.” The London-based author and blogger has made a name for himself as Britain’s foremost authority on coat hooks, paper clips, and all the other mundane details of life.

 

Ward explores these topics in great detail on his blog, “I Like Boring Things,” and in his Boring Conference, an annual event in which speakers are invited to deliver lectures on their own favorite items of minutiae — barcodes, vending machines, toast. One British newspaper described Ward as “a connoisseur of boredom.”

This may have a ring of snarky parody to it, and there is humor in Ward’s work, but the overwhelming sense is that he really does care about pickle jars and safety barriers. In fact, there are moments when Ward’s excessive scrutiny reveals insights into larger areas of life — you’d be pressed to find a more affecting expression of existential futility than his exhaustive study of parking lot booths.

This month, Ward makes his first foray into the US market, with the publication of “The Perfection of the Paper Clip: Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession,” a 300-page rumination on the world of staplers, hole punches, pencil erasers, highlighters, rulers, pocket protectors, and the forgotten pioneers who created them.

Of course, there’s a risk that a book like this could end up being genuinely boring. Ward avoids this fate by digressing into broader human endeavors, like waging war or creating art. Equally absorbing is his tone, which veers between forensic detailing, mock lyricism, and heartfelt appreciation, particularly when revealing the great minds behind such items as glue sticks. “It’s only a slight exaggeration,” he writes, “to say that the story of stationery is the story of human civilization.”

Ward spoke with Ideas by phone from his London apartment.

IDEAS: Before we get to the book, I wanted to mention your blog, “I Like Boring Things.” What’s the thinking there?

WARD: That suggests there’s some thinking behind it. It started a few years ago — it seemed like everyone was doing blogs and I didn’t want to be left out. I was going to call it “I Think I Pressed the Wrong Button,” but I settled on a quote I like from Andy Warhol: “I Like Boring Things.” It’s basically me paying too much attention to things that don’t necessarily deserve it. One post is about seeing a pound coin on a pub floor, thinking about strategies for picking it up without anyone noticing.

IDEAS: And what spawned the Boring Conference?

WARD: That happened by accident. There was an event called the Interesting Conference. One year it got canceled, so I started tweeting about doing a Boring Conference. It taught me never to make jokes about doing things on the Internet, because you end up having to do them.

IDEAS: The implication of both of these projects, of course, is that these boring things are actually interesting.

WARD: Yes. If there’s a single idea behind everything I do, it’s that nothing is boring if you look at it in enough detail. Whether it’s vending machines or stationery, the idea is that the theme can be boring but the content shouldn’t be.

IDEAS: Another fan of paper clips is Bert, from “Sesame Street.” There’s something inherently comical in what you do.

WARD: There’s a French writer I adore called George Perec, who talks about the “infra-ordinary,” the little things we take for granted. He is funny at times, but there is a more serious point, like when he’s talking about how a mine collapse makes the news. . .

IDEAS: A mime collapse?

WARD: Mine, like a coal mine. You know, all these people are trapped or dead, and that makes the front pages, but we don’t talk about the small things, the day-to-day life, the slow death of people who work in these conditions.

IDEAS: Your book does something similar — you’re focusing on an overlooked part of life, and the forgotten people who invented these things.

WARD: It just seems very unjust. We celebrate people who invent exciting things like computers and cars, but my people changed the world, too, only in a quiet way. I’m going through the dustbin of history and saying, “What if we just take a moment to thank Spence Silver and Art Fry for giving us the Post-it note?”

IDEAS: Your book uses stationery to explore all sorts of subjects: ambition, innovation, art, politics. There’s a bit about the ethics of removing stationery from hotel rooms, a story about Norwegians using the paper clip as a symbol of unity during World War II.

WARD: Yes, as I worked on the book I realized that the more you pick at this small thing, the more it can tell a bigger story. The claim about the story of stationery being the story of civilization sounds slightly outlandish, but I do sort of almost believe it.

IDEAS: On a less profound level, the book also tells the story of a woman who ate a pork pie with a thumbtack in it.

WARD: Someone said at the time, “I can’t think of anything worse than swallowing one of these things,” and someone else said, “What about passing one?” You can imagine the metallic ping as it came out. Horrific.

IDEAS: It is horrific, but it’s also funny. Despite all the serious points you’re making, this is a funny book.

WARD: I didn’t want it to be dry. But I also didn’t want it to be something you keep beside the toilet: “101 Wacky Things You Didn’t Know about Stationery.”

IDEAS: I don’t want to wrap this up without mentioning George W. McGill, the guy who bombarded the world with paper clip patents, nearly none of which ever went into production. If the book has a tragic figure, it’s him.

WARD: Yes. I imagine him as this restless person. I see him having dinner with his wife, scribbling on the tablecloth. He just kept refining and modifying and changing his designs, and most never got past the patent stage.

IDEAS: Finally, you’re on a desert island — what’s the one piece of stationery you want with you?

WARD: The Bic Cristal pen. It looks beautiful; it works; it’s the perfect combination of form and function. Though without paper, a pen wouldn’t be hugely useful. Can I have two?

Office Supplies And The Story of Civilization.
By Chris Wright.

There are echoes of Samuel Beckett in the work of James Ward, and of Nicholson Baker — and of Bert, from “Sesame Street.” The London-based author and blogger has made a name for himself as Britain’s foremost authority on coat hooks, paper clips, and all the other mundane details of life.

 

Ward explores these topics in great detail on his blog, “I Like Boring Things,” and in his Boring Conference, an annual event in which speakers are invited to deliver lectures on their own favorite items of minutiae — barcodes, vending machines, toast. One British newspaper described Ward as “a connoisseur of boredom.”

This may have a ring of snarky parody to it, and there is humor in Ward’s work, but the overwhelming sense is that he really does care about pickle jars and safety barriers. In fact, there are moments when Ward’s excessive scrutiny reveals insights into larger areas of life — you’d be pressed to find a more affecting expression of existential futility than his exhaustive study of parking lot booths.

This month, Ward makes his first foray into the US market, with the publication of “The Perfection of the Paper Clip: Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession,” a 300-page rumination on the world of staplers, hole punches, pencil erasers, highlighters, rulers, pocket protectors, and the forgotten pioneers who created them.

Of course, there’s a risk that a book like this could end up being genuinely boring. Ward avoids this fate by digressing into broader human endeavors, like waging war or creating art. Equally absorbing is his tone, which veers between forensic detailing, mock lyricism, and heartfelt appreciation, particularly when revealing the great minds behind such items as glue sticks. “It’s only a slight exaggeration,” he writes, “to say that the story of stationery is the story of human civilization.”

Ward spoke with Ideas by phone from his London apartment.

IDEAS: Before we get to the book, I wanted to mention your blog, “I Like Boring Things.” What’s the thinking there?

WARD: That suggests there’s some thinking behind it. It started a few years ago — it seemed like everyone was doing blogs and I didn’t want to be left out. I was going to call it “I Think I Pressed the Wrong Button,” but I settled on a quote I like from Andy Warhol: “I Like Boring Things.” It’s basically me paying too much attention to things that don’t necessarily deserve it. One post is about seeing a pound coin on a pub floor, thinking about strategies for picking it up without anyone noticing.

IDEAS: And what spawned the Boring Conference?

WARD: That happened by accident. There was an event called the Interesting Conference. One year it got canceled, so I started tweeting about doing a Boring Conference. It taught me never to make jokes about doing things on the Internet, because you end up having to do them.

IDEAS: The implication of both of these projects, of course, is that these boring things are actually interesting.

WARD: Yes. If there’s a single idea behind everything I do, it’s that nothing is boring if you look at it in enough detail. Whether it’s vending machines or stationery, the idea is that the theme can be boring but the content shouldn’t be.

IDEAS: Another fan of paper clips is Bert, from “Sesame Street.” There’s something inherently comical in what you do.

WARD: There’s a French writer I adore called George Perec, who talks about the “infra-ordinary,” the little things we take for granted. He is funny at times, but there is a more serious point, like when he’s talking about how a mine collapse makes the news. . .

IDEAS: A mime collapse?

WARD: Mine, like a coal mine. You know, all these people are trapped or dead, and that makes the front pages, but we don’t talk about the small things, the day-to-day life, the slow death of people who work in these conditions.

IDEAS: Your book does something similar — you’re focusing on an overlooked part of life, and the forgotten people who invented these things.

WARD: It just seems very unjust. We celebrate people who invent exciting things like computers and cars, but my people changed the world, too, only in a quiet way. I’m going through the dustbin of history and saying, “What if we just take a moment to thank Spence Silver and Art Fry for giving us the Post-it note?”

IDEAS: Your book uses stationery to explore all sorts of subjects: ambition, innovation, art, politics. There’s a bit about the ethics of removing stationery from hotel rooms, a story about Norwegians using the paper clip as a symbol of unity during World War II.

WARD: Yes, as I worked on the book I realized that the more you pick at this small thing, the more it can tell a bigger story. The claim about the story of stationery being the story of civilization sounds slightly outlandish, but I do sort of almost believe it.

IDEAS: On a less profound level, the book also tells the story of a woman who ate a pork pie with a thumbtack in it.

WARD: Someone said at the time, “I can’t think of anything worse than swallowing one of these things,” and someone else said, “What about passing one?” You can imagine the metallic ping as it came out. Horrific.

IDEAS: It is horrific, but it’s also funny. Despite all the serious points you’re making, this is a funny book.

WARD: I didn’t want it to be dry. But I also didn’t want it to be something you keep beside the toilet: “101 Wacky Things You Didn’t Know about Stationery.”

IDEAS: I don’t want to wrap this up without mentioning George W. McGill, the guy who bombarded the world with paper clip patents, nearly none of which ever went into production. If the book has a tragic figure, it’s him.

WARD: Yes. I imagine him as this restless person. I see him having dinner with his wife, scribbling on the tablecloth. He just kept refining and modifying and changing his designs, and most never got past the patent stage.

IDEAS: Finally, you’re on a desert island — what’s the one piece of stationery you want with you?

WARD: The Bic Cristal pen. It looks beautiful; it works; it’s the perfect combination of form and function. Though without paper, a pen wouldn’t be hugely useful. Can I have two?

[Author]

April 21, 2015 at 10:25 AM