Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781594202230)

A philosopher/mechanic's wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one's hands

"This is a deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real, hands-on knowledge. The book is also quirky, surprising, and sometimes quite moving." --Richard Sennett, author of The Craftsman

Called "the sleeper hit of the publishing season" by The Boston Globe, Shop Class as Soulcraft became an instant bestseller, attracting readers with its radical (and timely) reappraisal of the merits of skilled manual labor. On both economic and psychological grounds, author Matthew B. Crawford questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a "knowledge worker," based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing. Using his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford presents a wonderfully articulated call for self-reliance and a moving reflection on how we can live concretely in an ever more abstract world.

Author: Matthew B. Crawford
ISBN-10: 1594202230
ISBN-13: 9781594202230
Publisher: Penguin Press
Language: English
Published: 05/28/2009
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.00d
Award: Books for a Better Life - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 02/15/2009 pg. 88
Publishers Weekly 04/20/2009 pg. 45
Library Journal 05/01/2009 pg. 94
New York Times Book Review 06/07/2009 pg. 15
Entertainment Weekly 06/05/2009 pg. 62
Time 06/08/2009 pg. 18
New York Times Book Review 06/14/2009 pg. 18
New Yorker (The) 06/22/2009 pg. 83
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/02/2009 pg. 23
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/06/2009 pg. 22
Men's Journal 12/01/2009 pg. 112
New York Times Book Review 05/02/2010 pg. 24
Chronicle of Higher Education 04/17/2015 pg. 6

About the Author
Matthew B. Crawford is a philosopher and mechanic. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago and served as a postdoctoral fellow on its Committee on Social Thought. Currently a fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, he owns and operates Shockoe Moto, an independent motorcycle repair shop in Richmond, Virginia.