08/15/2016
In this study of consumerism in the 21st century, Sax (Save the Deli) sets out to prove that nostalgia is not the sole reason for the resurgence of vinyl records, film cameras, paper notebooks, and bookstores in an era dominated by digital technology. He travels across the United States, Canada, and Italy, visiting factories and startups, stores and cafes, where the focus is on solidifying a place for analog technologies and goods in a world full of screens, instant messages, and almost endless digital choices at one’s fingertips. Lastly, he investigates the meditative practices of executives in Silicon Valley and returns to a summer camp he attended as a child outside of Toronto, discovering how the people one might most expect to be glued to their illuminated screens–computer programmers and kids–are limiting technology’s place in their lives. Sax’s message is that digital technology has certainly made life easier, but the analog technologies of old can make life more rich and substantial. This book has a calming effect, telling readers, one analog page at a time, that tangible goods, in all their reassuring solidity, are back and are not going anywhere. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Nov.)
"No matter which side you're on in the debate over digital technology, there's something to cheer you in The Revenge of Analog."—Scott Timberg, New York Times Book Review
"Captivating...Sax provides an insightful and entertaining account of this phenomenon, creating a powerful counternarrative to the techno-utopian belief that we would live in an ever-improving, all-digital world."—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
"Here is a compulsively readable book after a Luddite's heart.... Sax isn't preaching a return to the pre-Industrial Age, but neither is he embracing the robot overlords. He thoughtfully, wisely, and honestly points out how analog experiences enhance digital creativity and how humans benefit from what both have to offer. Essential reading."—Booklist, Starred Review
"A perky and well-illustrated... look at a discordantly retro cultural trend."—Kirkus Reviews
"Sax's message is that digital technology has certainly made life easier, but the analog technologies of old can make life more rich and substantial. This book has a calming effect, telling readers, one analog page at a time, that tangible goods, in all their reassuring solidity, are back and are not going anywhere."—Publishers Weekly
"The more advanced our digital technologies, the more we come to realize that reality rules. David Sax reassures us surviving members of team human that material existence is alive and well, and makes a compelling case for the reclamation of terra firma and all that comes with it."—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus
"Hang on digital mavens, the real world ain't going anywhere. In The Revenge of Analog, David Sax shows the continued importance of the physical stuff to how we live and work today."—Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class
"The better digital gets, the more important analog becomes. In this fun tour of modern culture, David Sax has collected hundreds of ways that an analog approach can improve our newest inventions. Sax's reporting is eye-opening and mind-changing."—Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired and author of The Inevitable
"We all thought the digital age would be the end of analog media—and we were wrong. In this smart, funny, glorious book, David Sax explains why so many of us still crave the tactile, sensual experience of listening to music on vinyl records and taking notes with pencil and paper. Turn off your electronic devices, find a quiet place, and savor this remarkable book."—Dan Lyons, bestselling author of Disrupted
"David Sax has written a brilliant cri de coeur about the way things used to be, should be, and, increasingly, are becoming once again. The Revenge of Analog reminds us that it wasn't so long ago that records were vinyl, laces were double knotted and the mailbox at the end of the driveway was lovingly banged up. It's a book that brings something even more rare than a perfect song at the perfect moment-hope."—Rich Cohen, cocreator of HBO's Vinyl and author of The Sun & The Moon & The Rolling Stones
"A thoughtful look at the many ways in which analog has not been eliminated from the world but in many ways is still thriving...Sax's book reminds us that we live in an analog world. It is a good reminder that digital can only take us so far."—Tadas Viskanta, Yahoo! Finance
10/15/2016
Passion is what fuels the analog revolution. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the most interesting chapters of this book are those in which the author is personally invested. It is clear that reporter Sax (The Tastemakers) loves vinyl, bookstores, and writing on paper. His descriptions of searching the bargain bins at his local record store or getting the perfect recommendation from the staff at a favorite bookstore demonstrate that Sax is not only reporting this movement, he's part of it. Even some of the areas he's less expert in, such as film manufacturing, reveal a lively interest and keen understanding of analog enthusiasts. However, in the chapters "Revenge of Work" and "Revenge of School," the benefits of analog are clear, but the evidence is shaky. When talking about work, Sax seems oddly blind to the utter lack of sustainability. On schools, he identifies many failures of educational technology (such as smart boards) yet offers none of the enthusiasm for analog found in the earlier sections. VERDICT Readers who eschew Kindles and iPods or who want to "unplug" will relish this title.—Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston
As futurist Alvin Toffler predicted in the mid-80s, the more high-tech society becomes, the more many people long to return to some of the old ways, which Toffler called “high touch.” David Sax enthusiastically analyzes a similar phenomenon in the 21st century as vinyl records, Polaroid cameras, writing with pen and paper, and brick-and-mortar stores—what Sax calls “real things,” as opposed to the virtual—are making a comeback. Sax’s own emotional investment comes through as he reports on businesses and individuals who are doing things the way they used to be done. While listeners may not be happy to hear about the increased costs of going offline, the author’s explorations of the new analog make for fascinating listening. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
As futurist Alvin Toffler predicted in the mid-80s, the more high-tech society becomes, the more many people long to return to some of the old ways, which Toffler called “high touch.” David Sax enthusiastically analyzes a similar phenomenon in the 21st century as vinyl records, Polaroid cameras, writing with pen and paper, and brick-and-mortar stores—what Sax calls “real things,” as opposed to the virtual—are making a comeback. Sax’s own emotional investment comes through as he reports on businesses and individuals who are doing things the way they used to be done. While listeners may not be happy to hear about the increased costs of going offline, the author’s explorations of the new analog make for fascinating listening. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2016-09-17
An exploration of millennial fondness for old technologies and its implications for a competitive business landscape.Toronto-based journalist Sax (The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue, 2014, etc.) became curious why peers in his tech-focused circle were buying turntables and Moleskine notebooks: Certain technologies and processes that had recently been rendered obsolete suddenly began to show new life.Every week Id walk down the street and find a new boutique focused on an analog pursuit. Structurally, the author relies on the titular conceit of cultural revenge, as each chapter focuses on the revenge of paper, film, retail, and so forth. He finds support for his argument about the new vitality of analog in various anecdotal narratives, the strongest parts of the book. His point is most vividly made by the commercial resurgence of vinyl records, startling industry vets like the now-thriving United Record Pressing of Nashville. As the author notes, the [digital] streaming services have proven technology, but unproven business models, which are now being undercut by the tangible, collectible profitability of records. Similarly, Sax sees in Torontos packed board game cafes a mecca of analog funand an example of how a tangible community is closely tied to analogs revenge. He also shares a charming underdog story from Italy, where revival of the fragile FILM Ferrania factory is underway, and the shrewd lifestyle marketing of Moleskine (which actually revived a dormant notebook style described by Bruce Chatwin, thus inventing a symbol of creativity). Sax identifies intriguing representations of the swing toward analog, but his argument becomes more diffuse when linked to the less quirky and forgiving worlds of work, school, and digital innovation. He relies on a broad but shallow pool of interviewees, talking to a few innovators in each chaptere.g., the manager of Facebooks Analog Research Laboratory, who avers, the mission of the lab is to provoke and instill creativity in people. A perky and well-illustrated but repetitive, sometimes-pat look at a discordantly retro cultural trend.
