Relic

Object Lessons

by Ed Simon

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.

Genres: Nonfiction

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2024

Reviews

[Chuck Wiedrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Ed Simon’s prose. It’s intelligent and offers fresh perspectives, drawing on his unique interpretation of whatever subject he tackles. He also packs a lot of ideas into his treatment. This is another relatively short book, but the simple connections he makes as he considers different types of relics through the Christian era are quite thought provoking.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the nature of relics and what constitutes a relic. From religious artefacts of dubious origin in the medieval era, to the bodies of Lenin and Mao, to the destruction of things so that they don’t become venerated and more.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5