Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things

This is a terrific book and great fun to read...Mr Bayley thank you for your spot on observations ❤️

A witty thoughtful survey of style and that elusive concept "taste" within the confined of England and the United States in modern times. Good anecdotes and examples. Bayley is refreshingly honest about his prejudices-- and everyone else's.The book is hard on the eye; white text on pastel cover gives you an idea of what to expect. The font and color of the text make you squint to read. In sum, not well designed. Perhaps the book was meant to be pretty but not necessarily read.

My copy of this beautiful book has just arrived. I have it on my desk, alongside a copy of the first edition, published in 1991. The new edition is a reminder of how much the world has changed in the past 26 years. Brutalism is in the ascendent; Postmodernism seems quaint. Tastes have changed, and some quick dips into Bayley's text reveal just how acutely these shifts are observed. The vulgarian Trump gets a pasting, so do the 'Starchitects' and the interior desecrators, and the food faddists, and the fashion victims. Overall, the writing dazzles, the illustrations are well chosen, and the production is outstanding. It should fit nicely into a Christmas stocking!