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Books

Significant Objects: 100 Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things 
Edited by Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn
Fantagraphics, 2012

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"Finding magic in unexpected things." — NPR's All Things Considered

"Like a Salvation Army staffed by brilliant writers..." — GalleyCat

"The short stories are lovely. Some allude to an object's brush with fame; others suggest heartache, loneliness and the occasional bar fight. Each story casts a strange spell on the objects, and on our perception of them." — The Economist's More Intelligent Life

"To those who don't believe in the transcendent power of a good story ... behold: the Significant Objects project." — AdWeek.com


This Consumer Heaven: 55 Explorations from the Frontiers and Back alleys of 21st Century Consumer Culture 
Rob Walker
KDP, 2012

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To me, criticism in the sphere of consumer culture is not a matter of reviewing, endorsing, or attacking products, or otherwise providing shopping tips. As a critical subject, consumption is about buyers and sellers, the many ways the two come together — and why. That's the framework I used when I picked out Consumed columns to gather here, because that's the framework I used when I sat down every morning for seven years and tried to sort through the possibilities to determine what I should be writing about. — From the Introduction


Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are 
Rob Walker
Random House, 2008

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One of the five best nonfiction books of 2008
— Salon

One of the Ten Best Business Books of 2008
— Fast Company

One of the Best Business Books of 2008
— USA Today

“Fascinating … A compelling blend of cultural anthropology and business journalism.”
— Andrea Sachs, Time Magazine

“An often startling tour of new cultural terrain.”
— Laura Miller, Salon 

“Few observers have plumbed the subterranean poetry of marketing as thoroughly as Walker.”
— Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times Book Review

“Walker fills his richly reported book with insights from cutting-edge marketers, entrepreneurs and artists. … His thinking is provocative.”
— Kerry Hannon, USA Today 

“Walker … makes a startling claim: Far from being immune to advertising, as many people think, American consumers are increasingly active participants in the marketing process. … [He] leads readers through a series of lucid case studies to demonstrate that, in many cases, consumers actively participate in infusing a brand with meaning. … Convincing.”
— Jay Dixit, The Washington Post

"It's enlightening and fun to follow Walker’s metamorphosis … to fascinated explorer of U.S. consumer marketing. He has a flair for branding [and] an affinity for people who seek cultural alternatives. … there’s plenty of substance here, and plenty for marketers to ponder.”
— Andrew O’Connell, Harvard Business Review

“Walker makes all this cultural observation compelling; he is a good reporter and storyteller, with a sharp eye for the comic.”
— David Billet, The Wall Street Journal

“If you find yourself in this book and don’t like what you see, at least it’s not all your fault. Blame marketing – and thank Walker for the insights.”
— Carlo Wolff, The Boston Globe

The most trenchant psychoanalyst of our consumer selves is Rob Walker. Buying In is a fresh and fascinating exploration of the places where material culture and identity intersect.
— Michael Pollan, author, In Defense of Food

Rob Walker is a gift. He shows that in our shattered, scattered world, powerful brands are existential, insinuating themselves into the human questions “what am I about?” and “how do I connect?” His insight that brand influence is becoming both more pervasive and more hidden — that we are not so self-defined as we like to think — should make us disturbed, and vigilant.
— Jim Collins, author, Good to Great

Rob Walker is a terrific writer who understands both human nature and the business world. His book is highly entertaining, but it’s also a deeply thoughtful look at the ways in which marketing meets the modern psyche.
— Bethany McLean, co-author, The Smartest Guys in the Room


Letters From New Orleans
Rob Walker
Garrett County Press, 2005

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Amazon.com Best Travel Books of 2005.

“These stories now function as 21 silent little jazz funerals: exuberant, celebratory and tragic.”
— The New York Times Book Review

“The book has a deeply personal way of relating to the reader no matter what Walker is writing about…. A fantastic read … It is more than just a good book. Its insider-outsider perspective and street-level historical explorations make it essential for anyone interested in New Orleans.”
— Maximum Rock n Roll

“Letters from New Orleans tells the stories that you've never heard before and that you just can't hear while jaunting through the muggy city during Jazz Fest or Mardis Gras. … Fresh and poignant.”
— Forbes.com

“In Letters from New Orleans, Walker contemplates, almost wistfully, various notions of denial and self-invention and loss — those masks that symbolize the city aren't lost on him. And his pointed, witty insights about the city won't be lost on readers.”
— The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune

“Seeing the city through Rob Walker's eyes reveals a place at once familiar and yet different.”
— Chicago Tribune

“The quality that makes Walker's 'modest series of stories about a place that means a lot to [him]' rewarding reading is his immersion in the local. ... Walker's book, 'not a memoir, a history, or an exposé,' won't help a tourist get around in New Orleans, but it will help him or her see beyond the tour guide's pointed finger.”
— Publisher's Weeekly

“This book is far more than a poetic testament to a strange and wonderful town. It's a story about a city boy who recognizes the need to slow down and observe carefully — a story of a couple who learns to let our word's odd richness really sink in. I recommend it to anyone who feels life is going by too fast.”
— Po Bronson, author, What Should I Do With My Life?

“Rob Walker is a wonderful writer with a gentle yet comprehensive inquisitiveness, the rigorous, observant eye of a journalist, and the light, poetic touch of an artist. He has managed to make New Orleans — a city that has been documented and written about for centuries — seem completely fresh and unfamiliar and wholly compelling. Letters From New Orleans is a lovely book, and so much more.”
— David Rakoff, author, Fraud


Titans of Finance: True Tales of Money & Business
Rob Walker with artist Josh Neufeld
Alternative Comics, 2001

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2011 iPad Version >>

“Dissections of executive arrogance and mismanagement. … Superman never pounded businessmen-gone-bad the way Titans of Finance does.”
— James M. Pethokoukis, U.S. News & World Report 

“Sharp and fearless. The comic book is hilarious — or it would be if it weren't all true. Recommended reading.”
— Nell Minow, The Corporate Library

“I have always been fascinated by the men behind the curtain, the actual faces that make up faceless corporations. Titans of Finance is an amazing and much needed work that shows that the machine is made not only made of real people, but made of really odd people. My only complaint is that I didn't think of it first.”
— Rich Mackin, author, Dear Mr. Mackin

“A delightful book, fascinating reading, and an amazing accomplishment. A+.”
— Cliff Biggers, Comics Buyers Guide

“A fine antidote to the free-enterprise hype ladled out by ‘capitalist tool’ media outlets like Forbes and Money. … Hilarious.” 
— Scott Gilbert, Comics Journal

“A brilliant use of the medium.”
— James J. Cramer, former hedge fund manager; journalist; founder, TheStreet.com

“These accounts of the lives of the sometimes rich and frequently unscrupulous hit the mark with their irony and sharp observations.”
— Harvey Pekar, author/creator, American Splendour


Where Were You? 
Rob Walker 
Feed Books (Annual Zine/E-Zine: 2006 - present) 

The latest in an ongoing series of notations concerning high-profile or otherwise notable deaths. Since 1992 have I recorded “where I was” when I learned about such passings, along with whatever thoughts I have about the person who has died. The present volume covers deaths that occurred in 2010.

Buy from Feed Books >>

“Utterly Addictive.”
— David Shields, author, Reality Hunger: A Manifesto

“The entries themselves are straightforward and unsentimental. Collectively, they serve as a phenomenological study of fame and mortality. Their effect is both cumulative and sublime." 
— Jim Hanas

“Your zine is great! And only mildly depressing."
— Actual Reader

 “Very interesting … I was bummed that in the end everyone died!”
— Another Actual Reader