I really enjoyed Virginia Postrel's The Power of Glamour and I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand what glamour is, its history and how it impacts us both individually and culturally. The book is very well written and contains many images and examples to illustrate the ideas explored throughout the book.The author begins with "the magic of glamour" to set the context. She describes glamour as a form of rhetoric that involves an interaction between an object and the audience. She then builds out her definition of glamour over the next several chapters. There are 3 recurring elements in her analysis of Glamour: The Promise of Escape and Transformation, Grace, and Mystery (leaving something to the imagination). Each of these chapters is full of interesting information and analysis. For the purpose of this review, I would like to note a few key things she points out in regard to Grace.Grace gives us the impression of something being effortless even though in reality there is a tremendous amount of hard work that we don't see and which is needed for that grace to be developed (think of all the practice Michael Jordan needed to do to become so graceful on the basketball court, that Astaire and Rogers needed to do to look so graceful on the dance floor). As she points out "glamour appears effortless" and this is what "makes glamour so dangerous and so alluring."Ms. Postrel also differentiates Glamour from other related concepts. I found her analysis of the difference between glamour and charisma to be very enlightening. She presents a chart with the differences between the two concepts (she also notes that objects can be glamorous but they cannot have charisma) and then notes some examples to illustrate those differences. Her example of Barack Obama as someone who has Glamour explains how this helps with getting elected but becomes a hindrance when trying to enact specific policies. She also notes those rare individuals, like Steve Jobs, who have both.She traces glamour all the way back to Achilles and she takes us through the history of glamour and explains why the concept really took off in the 20th century.One of my favorite features of the book Icon section at the end of each chapter. Each chapter has 2 icons that are explored and they illustrate a lot of the ideas in the book. I found each of these interesting but my three favorites are: The Superhero, The Gibson Girl and The Horseman.The author notes at the end of the book that:"The story of glamour is the story of human longing and its cultural manifestations. Like other forms of rhetoric and art, glamour can embody good ideas or bad ones. It can inspire life-enhancing actions or destructive ones. Its meaning and its effects depend on the audience. But one things is certain: glamour is not trivial."Ms. Postrel has given us a detailed analysis of glamour and the powerful role it plays in our lives. By understanding glamour more deeply, we can be alert to both its positive and negative effects. I highly recommend this book as a great way to better understand and appreciate "The Power of Glamour".