{"product_id":"fragility-a-history-of-plaster-paperback","title":"Fragility: A History of Plaster - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlain Corbin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eHelen Morrison\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distant past is commonly characterized in terms of dominant materials of the time - the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, etc. Since the dawn of writing, however, characterizing eras in terms of materials has fallen by the wayside, and yet materials have continued to exert a powerful influence on our collective imagination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eViewed from this perspective, France in the period from 1815 to 1855 could be seen as the half-century of plaster. After the French Revolution, plaster was used for a great variety of things: building, moulding, sculpting, decorating. Cheap and easy to use, plaster was everywhere, from Napoleon's death mask to household ornaments, from walls to elaborate mouldings. Plaster was king - but a fragile king that easily crumbled and fell apart. The age of plaster was also the reign of the ephemeral and the transient, the vulgar and the eclectic, and the men and women of the time struggled to maintain stability and continuity with the past. In the space of a few decades, no fewer than seven political regimes succeeded one another. Plaster - symbol of the ephemeral, the flaking and the vulgar - is the material which defines the first half of the nineteenth century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten with his characteristic brilliance and eye for unconventional topics, Alain Corbin's highly original exploration of the role of plaster in history will be of interest to a wide readership.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlain Corbin\u003c\/b\u003e is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 88\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.3 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 02, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45774889910469,"sku":"9781509565955","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/dwYp8VIC1K9781509565955.webp?v=1770528785","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/fragility-a-history-of-plaster-paperback","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}