Things

Things: In Touch with the Past explores the value of artifacts that have survived from the past and that can be said to "embody" their histories. Such genuine or "real" things afford a particular kind of aesthetic experience-an encounter with the past-despite the fact that genuineness is not a perceptually detectable property. Although it often goes unnoticed, the sense of touch underlies such encounters, even though one is often not permitted literal touch. Carolyn Korsmeyer begins her account with the claim that wonder or marvel at old things fits within an "experiential" account of the aesthetic. She then presents her main argument regarding the role of touch-both when literal contact is made and when proximity suffices, for touch is a fundamental sense that registers bodily position and location. Correct understanding of the identity of objects is presumed when one values things just because of what they are, and with discovery that a mistakehas been made, admiration is often withdrawn. Far from undermining the importance of the genuine, these errors of identification confirm it. Korsmeyer elaborates this position with a comparison between valuing artifacts and valuing persons. She also considers the ethical issues of genuineness, forartifacts can be harmed in various ways ranging from vandalism to botched restoration. She examines the differences between a real thing and a replica in detail, making it clear that genuineness comes in degrees. Her final chapter reviews the ontology that best suits an account of persistence over time of things that are valued for being the real thing.

An ambitious and timely treatise on the importance of genuineness and the role of touch in experiencing 'Real Things'. With Things Korsmeyer makes a significant contribution to the philosophical literature on genuineness, the importance of touch in aesthetic experience, connections between persons and artifacts, and the sorts of value we place in objects and sites. The breadth of literature she invokes is impressive, spanning philosophy, history, archaeology, psychology, and literature ... a welcomed addition to anyone working in aesthetics, archaeology, and heritage management., In this excellent book, Carolyn Korsmeyer skilfully threads a course through these murky waters, tacking close to, but not alighting on, Viollet-le-Duc's charge... we should rejoice in the fact that Korsmeyer has started us off with such an insightful, profound, and beautifully-writtenbook., Carolyn Korsmeyer's monograph bolsters her reputation as a leading innovator in analytic aesthetics research. Like so much of her previous work, this book is beautifully written, thoughtful and thought-provoking, carefully referenced and rich in artistic examples and historical anecdotes ... the book is a testament to the possibility of making first-rate philosophical contributions that are fascinating and enjoyable to read., Erudite yet accessible, Korsmeyer's study paints a detailed, vivid picture of what "genuine" and "authentic" mean when applied to objects and to the experiences one has of old things. This study will interest not only philosophers of art and aesthetics but also scholars working in the many other disciplines of the humanities.

Professor of Philosophy, University of Buffalo.