{"product_id":"living-it-up-americas-love-affair-with-luxury-9780743245067","title":"Living It Up: America's Love Affair with Luxury","description":"\u003ci\u003eLuxury isn't just for the rich, \u003c\/i\u003e says James B. Twitchell. Today you don't need a six-figure income to wear pashmina, drink a limited-edition coffee at Starbucks, or drive a Mercedes home to collapse on the couch in front of a flat-screen plasma TV. In \u003ci\u003eLiving It Up, \u003c\/i\u003e sharp-eyed consumer anthropologist Twitchell takes a witty and insightful look at luxury -- what it is, who defines it, and why we can't seem to get enough of it. \u003cbr\u003e In recent years, says Twitchell, luxury spending has grown much faster than overall spending -- and it continues to grow despite the economic recession. Luxury has become such a powerful marketing force that it cuts across every layer of society, spawning a magazine devoted to spas, cashmere bedspreads on sale at Kmart, and a dazzling array of bottled waters. \u003cbr\u003e Twitchell says that the democratization of luxury has had a unifying effect on culture. Luxury items tell a story that we want to identify with, and more people than ever aspire to the story of Ralph Lauren's Polo or Patek Philippe. Shopping itself is no longer a chore but a transcendent experience in which we shop not so much for goods as for an identity. \u003cbr\u003e Sharply observed and wickedly funny, \u003ci\u003eLiving It Up\u003c\/i\u003e is a revealing and entertaining examination of why we are all part of the cult of luxur\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James B. Twitchell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/02\/2003\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.77lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.44h x 5.54w x 0.78d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780743245067\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBusiness Week\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/30\/2003 pg. 22\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAtlantic Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2003 pg. 126\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTwitchell, James B.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eJames B. Twitchell\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida. He is the author of several books on English literature, culture, marketing, and advertising, most recently \u003ci\u003eLiving It Up: America's Love Affair with Luxury.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":40117429010547,"sku":"9.78E+12","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_612744da-7939-4d45-b3eb-a1eabb2287fb.jpg?v=1653575773","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/living-it-up-americas-love-affair-with-luxury-9780743245067","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}