Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-214) and index.

"Choosing and using objects is a primal human activity, and I Want That! is nothing less than a portrait of humanity as the species that shops. We shop to nourish our bodies and to feed our fantasies. We shop to belong to groups. We shop to define ourselves as individuals. We shop to be powerful. We shop to be responsible. We shop to celebrate. We shop because we don't want to miss out on the excitement of Life. I Want That! shows how these fundamental desires play out in today's malls, Web sites, boutiques, and superstores." "The book also offers a lively, fast-paced history of finding, choosing, and spending. It makes stops in the crossroads markets in which prehistoric merchants traded gold, amber, and obsidian; in the agora in Athens, where sharp sellers wet their wool to make it weigh more, and everyone name to buy, talk, eat, and get their hair done. It visits the great fairs of medieval times - brief gaudy moments in monotonous, laborious lives - and it considers the cities of Renaissance Europe, where shopping districts and the idea of individual expression arose side by side. It demonstrates how one simple idea - manufacturing garments that were ready to wear - brought the explosive growth of department stores and turned cities into vast shopping centers. It continues the story to the age of the Internet, when the buying never seems to stop, and, in times of crisis, political leaders tout shopping, not sacrifice, as the act of patriots."--BOOK JACKET.