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Wendy Woloson will lead off the fall series with a talk based on her book, Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America. She tells the history of “crap” by exploring its many categories: gadgets, knickknacks, novelty goods, mass-produced collectibles, giftware, variety store merchandise. Her book takes seriously the history of objects that are often easy to dismiss: things not made to last; things we don't really need; things we often don't even really want. Woloson does not mock these ordinary, possessions but seeks to understand them as a way to understand ourselves. Crap was a finalist for the Hagley Prize of the Business History Conference and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Wendy A. Woloson is associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden and the author In Hock: Pawning in America from Independence through the Great Depression. Woloson previously participated in the Hagley History Hangout series.

Author talks take place in Hagley’s Soda House Auditorium, starting at 7 pm promptly. Seating is limited and advance (free) registration is required. Please email any questions to Carol Lockman, clockman@Hagley.org.