Quintessence: The Quality of Having It

Square 4to. Laminated pictorial wrappers. Vertical crease to leading edge of upper wrapper. Previous owner’s decorative bookplate affixed to verso of upper wrapper. Design by John C Jay. Copiously illustrated with b/w photographs. Unpaginated [c.100 pages]. *** Tongue-in-cheek but not entirely un-serious, the authors list 65 (or thereabouts) items that have the “it-factor” or “quintessence”. From the Swiss army knife to the design of Heinz tomato soup cans – all are immediately recognisable.