'This book is a brave attempt to deal with the relationships between humans and things from the perspectives of natural scientists as well as of humanists and social scientists. It is indeed remarkable how the relationships between people and things are studied in distinct and separate traditions, and Boivin is to be congratulated for having the courage to take an inclusive view. She is right that many of those who discuss modern material culture ... pay scant attention to things themselves and their material connections. ... She challenges us towards a fuller integration of human and material sciences, of socio-cultural and evolutionary perspectives.' Journal of Anthropological Research