By what means did so much beauty and ingenuity appears in articles of everyday rural life in Portugal? How did the shape of these objects balance necessity and formal perfection so skillfully? This book explores the effect that generations of trial and error, individual craftsmanship, and an instinct to carve out the essential with the slenderest of means brought to objects that made life both livable and meaningful to a pre-industrial society. The objects photographed and described by designer Jasper Morrison may be appreciated both for their beauty and for the example they set of design at its purest. AUTHOR: Jasper Morrison (*1959) studied at the Kingston Polytechnic Design School and the Royal College of Art in London. He works as a designer between London, Paris, and Tokyo. His designs are produced by leading manufacturers of furniture, lighting, electronics, shoes, and more. He has published a number of books, including 'A World Without Words', 'Super Normal', 'Everything but the Walls', 'A Book of Things' 188 illustrations