{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20261010T034321Z-reviewed-full-unique-works","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0241366356?tag=bookfrontie00-20","asin":"0241366356","authors":["Soetsu Yanagi"],"book_id":"9780241366356","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/the-beauty-of-everyday-things-9780241366356","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780241366356.jpg?v=4819abb02e379cb3","description":"The Japanese philosopher and aesthete's definitive, hugely influential exposition of his philosophy of folkcrafts, setting out the hallmarks of Japanese design as we know it today: anonymity, quality, simplicity and honesty—and, of course, wabi-sabi , the beauty of imperfection A Penguin Classic Our lives are filled with objects. Everyday things used in everyday settings, they are our constant companions. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe—an aesthetic fulfillment of our practical needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. Long revered as the authority on craftsmanship and Japanese aesthetics, Yanagi devoted his life and writing to defend the value of craft. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, The Beauty of Everyday Things is a call for each of us to deepen our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple artisans Yanagi encountered on his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, this now-classic book is a heartfelt defence of modest, honest, handcrafted objects, from traditional teacups to jars to paper—objects that exemplify the beauty of everyday things.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780241366356","publication_date":"20191008","publisher":"Penguin Publishing Group","slug":"the-beauty-of-everyday-things","subtitle":"","title":"The Beauty of Everyday Things"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"ART019030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Japanese Art","score":0.7952,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"ART016020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Artist Essays","score":0.7123,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"ART015100","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Modern Art History (to 1945)","score":0.7072,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"ART019030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Japanese Art","score":0.7952,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"ART016020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Artist Essays","score":0.7123,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"ART015100","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Modern Art History (to 1945)","score":0.7072,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"ART019030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Japanese Art","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"DES008000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Design History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"PHI001000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Aesthetics","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Japanese Art","score":0.7952,"slug":"japanese-art"},{"label":"Artist Essays","score":0.7123,"slug":"artist-essays"},{"label":"Modern Art History (to 1945)","score":0.7072,"slug":"modern-art-history-to-1945"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers interested in Japanese design and folkcraft philosophy","Readers curious about handmade objects and everyday aesthetics"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Don Norman"],"book_id":"9780465050659","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780465050659.jpg?v=7bd26f3861f131e6","score":0.6902,"title":"The Design of Everyday Things","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780465050659"},{"authors":["Donald H. Ruggles"],"book_id":"9780692928622","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780692928622.jpg?v=b5adb9311de038f2","score":0.6645,"title":"Beauty, Neuroscience, and Architecture","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780692928622"},{"authors":["gestalten","Kari Molvar"],"book_id":"9783899558609","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9783899558609.jpg?v=97ef64f77179dbef","score":0.6533,"title":"The New Beauty","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9783899558609"},{"authors":["David Galef"],"book_id":"9784805318829","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9784805318829.jpg?v=e7448b2614699f7c","score":0.6434,"title":"Japanese Proverbs","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9784805318829"},{"authors":["Henry Petroski"],"book_id":"9780679740391","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780679740391.jpg?v=fae0ae187c1eaafc","score":0.6434,"title":"The Evolution of Useful Things","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780679740391"},{"authors":["Pauline Brown"],"book_id":"9780062883308","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062883308.jpg?v=848f1110f2a0257b","score":0.6424,"title":"Aesthetic Intelligence","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062883308"},{"authors":["Maira Kalman"],"book_id":"9780062122971","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062122971.jpg?v=1ae4c3865fe50b11","score":0.639,"title":"My Favorite Things","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062122971"},{"authors":["Bruno Munari"],"book_id":"9780141035819","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780141035819.jpg?v=5068688019bf6697","score":0.6374,"title":"Design As Art","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780141035819"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:books about japan"],"label":"About","score":0.1333,"slug":"about"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:classic literature"],"label":"Literature","score":0.057,"slug":"literature"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:penguin classic"],"label":"Classic","score":0.0526,"slug":"classic"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:design books"],"label":"Design","score":0.0287,"slug":"design"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Japanese design aesthetics, Folkcraft and craftsmanship, Beauty in imperfection.","Themes: Literature, Design.","Reading lane: Japanese Art and Artist Essays."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.91,"pacing":"unknown","reader_fit":["Readers interested in Japanese design and folkcraft philosophy","Readers curious about handmade objects and everyday aesthetics"],"themes":["Japanese design aesthetics","Folkcraft and craftsmanship","Beauty in imperfection"],"tropes":[]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":2275,"goodreads_reviews_count":312,"quality_score":0.9252}}