Alarm

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

Alarms are alarming. They wake us up, demand our attention and force us to attend to things we''ve preferred to ignore. But alarms also allow us to feel secure, to sleep and to retreat from alertness. They
take over vigilance on our behalf.

From the alarm clock and the air-raid siren to the doo...