Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker collected 50 stories about objects people have lost–and why they still matter. I particularly liked four of these odd stories.

Laura Lippman’s “Labyrinth Game” recounts how she learned to master this odd game and could beat everyone who challenged her. Her ex-husband broke it. “Cleaning, he said, which sounded suspect. It can never be replaced.” So much emotion gets wrapped up in objects that are close to us.

I also enjoyed “Batman Ring.” Leah Hennessy found a Batman ring and started to wear it. “I wore it like a wedding ring, and when people remarked on it, especially people who were boys, I always said, ‘Yes, I’m married to Batman.'” Now it’s missing and Leah still searches for it.

When he was a kid, Seth was a huge Star Trek fan. Despite his complicated relationship with his handy father, Seth asked his father to make him a model of the Enterprise. Surprisingly, Seth’s father constructed a 50-lb. large model of the classic starship–and painted it a golden color for some unknown reason. It brought Seth and his father closer together. “That Enterprise followed me me from closet to box to shed throughout my childhood and teen years, and then, when I went off to art school, it disappeared.” Now in his 30s, Seth misses this symbol from this youth.

Finally, Gary Panter’s “Stack of Comics” strikes me right in the heart. Just like Gary Panter, I lost my comic book collection. I had long runs of The Flash, Green Lantern, Adam Strange, The Justice League, Batman, and Superman. I also had the first issue of THE FANTASTIC FOUR! But when I went away to Summer Camp (which I hated) I returned to find the closet where I kept my comic books clean…and empty. My mother had tossed them out while I was gone. In later years, I would show my mother the value of the comic books she disposed of and would say, “I could have bought you a new car by selling those comic books.”

If you’re in the mood for a quirky, unusual, and unique series of stories, I recommend Lost Objects. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Lost and found / Debbie Millman — 8

The quiet sense of something lost / Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker — 12

Hunting hat / Stephen O’Connor ; illustrated by Oliver Munday — 18

.22 Revolver / Seth Mnookin ; illustrated by Alex Eben Meyer — 20

Fountain Pens / Nina Katchadourian ; illustration by Lisa Congdon — 22

Sequined Scarf / Miranda Mellis ; illustration by Adam Goldberg — 24

Warhol Can / Ben Greenman ; illustrated by Clara Selina Bach — 26

Bauble / Matthew Sharpe ; illustrated by Glenn Jones — 28

Flower Necklace / Anita Kunz ; illustrated by Anita Kunz — 30

Rocky Horror Novel / Lydia Millet ; illustrated by Berta Vallo — 32

Lucite Carrying Case / Ben Katchor ; illustrated by Ben Kathchor — 34

Cologne / Dan Piepenbring ; illustrated by Josh Neufeld — 36

Peanut-Butter Crackers / Claire Lehmann ; illustrated by Karen Kurycki — 38

Vinyl Skirt / Paola Antonelli ; illustrated by Sophie Calhoun — 40

Silicone Vagina / Susannah Breslin ; illustrated by Jennifer Heuer — 42

Glass Clock / Lisa Takeuchi Cullen ; illustrated by Rose Wong — 44

Baseball Mitt / Jeff Turrentine ; illustrated by Andrew DeGraff — 46

Labyrinth Game / Laura Lippman ; illustrated by Laura Didyk — 48

Moroccan Trinket / Geoff Manaugh ; illustrated by Mariana Pita — 50

Engineer Ring / Jessamyn West ; illustrated by Amanda Clarke — 52

Macrame Art / Joe Yonan ; illustrated by Theo Ellsworth — 54

Desktop Dog / M.R. Sauter ; illustrated by Shayna Piascik — 56

Ceramic Artwork / Heather Kapplow ; illustrated by Mstt Wuerker — 58

Grandfather Photo / Mark Dery ; illustrated by Kelli Anderson — 60

College Newspaper / Alice Boone ; illustrated by Kelli Anderson — 62

Notebook / Chelsey Johnson ; Rubi McGrory — 64

Snake Rattles / Randy Kennedy ; illustrated by Max Temescu — 66

Walking Shoes / Michael Tisserand ; illustrated by Jackie Roche — 68

Batman Ring / Leah Hennessey ; illustrated by Dean Haspiel — 70

General Hustler BMX / Chris Piascik ; illustrated by Chris Piascik — 72

Dodge Dart / Mimi Lipson ; illustrated by Mister Reusch — 74

Prayer Card / Kathryn Davis ; illustrated by Dina Noto — 76

Mullet Wig / Kate Bernheimer ; illustrated by Amy C. Evans — 78

Club Chair / Lucy Sante ; illustrated by Kate Bingamann-Burt — 80

Skeleton Sweater / Becky Stern ; illustrated by Monica Garwood — 82

Enterprise Model / Seth ; illustrated by Seth — 84

Vanilla Bean / Paul Lukas ; illustrated by Allison Bamcat — 86

Road Atlas / Dante Ramos ; illustrated by Joe Alterio — 88

Conker / Dan Fox ; illustrated by Linzie Hunter — 90

Pink Elephants / Mikita Brottman ; illustrated by Sarah Williamson — 92

Orgone Accumulator / Mandy Keifetz ; illustrated by Emory Allen — 94

Finger Puppet / Sara Ryan ; illustrated by Steve Lieber — 96

Dog-Fur Scarf / Amy Thielen ; illustrated by Heather Kasunick — 98

Stratocaster / Doug Dorst ; illustrated by John Holbo — 100

Karma Parka / Alex Gerasev ; illustrated by Alex Gerasev — 102

Stack of Comics / Gary Panter ; illustrated by Gary Panter — 104

Eccentric Book — 106

Glass Poodle / Debbie Millman ; illustrated by Debbie Millman — 108

Autographed Basebll / Nathaniel Rich ; illustrated by Ellen Rose — 110

Track Shoes / Charles Glaubitz ; illustrated by Charles Glaubitz — 112

Shooting Gallery / Alex Balk ; illustrated by John Lowe — 114

Pickled Octopus / Neil LaBute ; illustrated by Disa Wallander — 116

Appendix — 118

Lost in Thought / Towards a Typology of Lost Object-meanings — 122

Towards a Typology of Object-loss — 133

Contributors — 142