Wonderland

Johnson is an engaging writer, unable to bore the reader

The Guardian

Steven Johnson has an eye for the most interesting new ideas

Steven Pinker

The book is a house of wonders…the flutes made of bone, the zoos, the purple dye made from snails, the roulette, the automatons of digesting and defecating ducks, and Minecraft. These novelties, in turn, are connected backward in time often to ancient forces – and then forward to their cultural derivations, including synthesizers, computers and the internet.

The New York Times Book Review

Mr. Johnson’s narrative is crammed with elegantly told vignettes from the history of ideas...The book is full of excellent facts

The Wall Street Journal

A rare gem. . . . Our illogical, enduring fascination with play remains one of life’s great mysteries. That is precisely what makes the subject so fascinating, and Wonderland such a compelling read

The Washington Post

Johnson clearly delights in eccentric facts, and the book is fun to look at

Financial Times

Johnson’s writing derives its appeal from his ability to illuminate complex ideas in unpretentious language...Johnson’s prose is nimble, his knowledge impressive...Wonderland is original and fun

The San Francisco Chronicle

Wonderland brims with these sorts of tidbits, memorable moments, and bits of information that light up the mind

The Boston Globe

Johnson entertainingly shows how appetites for spices led to international exploration and colonial empires and how the ornamentation of fashion and jewelry spurred technological innovation and industry. He tells of the social revolutions that were hatched in taverns and coffeehouses, public spaces distinctly different from those where one worked, lived, or worshipped, and he suggests that commerce and consumption were not byproducts of the Industrial Revolution but driving forces. Johnson also shows the darker sides of colonial empires built on spices and of the shopping mall, which catered to consumption while threatening the inner city. There’s an infectious spirit of delight in the prose, which matches the themes in a book that will engage even those not entirely convinced by its thesis to take a look from a different perspective.

Kirkus Review

In this charming study, Johnson (How We Got to Now) examines how the seemingly frivolous and unproductive aspects of society — the things people do for fun, pleasure, and entertainment — have influenced, defined, and created the world… In an entertaining and accessible style, he takes tangents that arrive at sometimes startling conclusions, like a magician practicing misdirection

Publishers Weekly

Johnson is a master storyteller, weaving disparate elements together into a rich and seamless tapestry of technology and human history

Booklist (starred review)