{"title":"Aja Raden","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection featuring the works of Aja Raden, a captivating author known for blending deep insights into arts, culture, philosophy, and psychology with engaging storytelling. If you're eager to explore the intricacies of human nature and the fascinating world of jewellery and objects of desire, you've arrived at the right place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAja Raden’s works, such as \u003cem\u003eStoned: Jewellery, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World\u003c\/em\u003e, unravel the stories behind the glittery surfaces of history's most coveted objects. This book navigates through epochs and stories to reveal how desire, represented through precious stones, has shaped the world in remarkable ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer other notable work, \u003cem\u003eThe Truth About Lies: The Illusion of Honour and How It's Driven Humanity's Evolution\u003c\/em\u003e, delves into the paradoxical nature of deception and its role in human evolution. Raden provides a thought-provoking examination of how the lies we tell influence the social structures and beliefs that underpin civilisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough her compelling prose, Aja Raden invites readers to ponder the larger questions of what makes us who we are and how our desires drive and define us. Whether you are fascinated by the art world or eager to understand the psychological underpinnings of our actions, Aja Raden’s books offer an enlightening journey that promises to inform and enchant.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"stoned-by-aja-raden-9780062334701","title":"Stoned","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs entertaining as it is incisive, \u003cem\u003eStoned\u003c\/em\u003e is a raucous journey through the history of human desire for what is rare, and therefore precious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes a stone a jewel? What makes a jewel priceless? And why do we covet beautiful things? In this brilliant account of how eight jewels shaped the course of history, jeweller and scientist Aja Raden tells an original and often startling story about our unshakeable addiction to beauty and the darker side of human desire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat moves the world is what moves each of us: desire. Jewellery—which has long served as a stand-in for wealth and power, glamour and success—has birthed cultural movements, launched political dynasties, and started wars. Masterfully weaving together pop science and history, \u003cem\u003eStoned\u003c\/em\u003e breaks history into three categories—Want, Take, and Have—and explains what the diamond on your finger has to do with the GI Bill, why green-tinted jewellery has been exalted by so many cultures, why the glass beads that bought Manhattan for the Dutch were initially considered a fair trade, and how the French Revolution started over a coveted necklace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStudded with lively personalities and fascinating details, \u003cem\u003eStoned\u003c\/em\u003e tells the remarkable story of our abiding desire for the rare and extraordinary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46510072332524,"sku":"9780062334701","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/4551113482210.jpg?v=1748791672"},{"product_id":"the-truth-about-lies-by-aja-raden-9781838951924","title":"The Truth About Lies","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFibbing, prevaricating, stretching the truth, white lies, of omission, of commission. Lying is so pervasive that we have countless words for it. But have you ever considered why you believed a lie you were told - or why we lie at all?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this witty, whirlwind tour through the annals of deceit, bestselling author Aja Raden combines psychology, popular science, and history to explore everything you've ever wanted to know about manipulation and lying, showing how it evolved and why even the birds and the bees do it. From 'big lies' like the English gent who invented a South American country to pyramid schemes like Bernie Madoff, this is an eye-opening primer that decodes how we behave and function, and reveals how lying shapes our experience of the world around us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000821793004,"sku":"9781838951924","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20504063482842.jpg?v=1763307414"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/aja-raden.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}