{"product_id":"travels-in-hyper-reality-by-umberto-eco","title":"'Travels in Hyper-Reality' by Umberto Eco","description":"\u003ch4 data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"396\"\u003eBefore the internet made everything simulation by default, Eco was already wandering through America asking why copies sometimes feel more persuasive than originals.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"396\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"209\" data-end=\"234\"\u003eTravels in Hyperreality\u003c\/em\u003e collects his essays on theme parks, wax museums, television, medieval revivals, and the strange hunger for “the real” that produces ever more elaborate replicas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"398\" data-end=\"723\"\u003eEco writes as a semiotician with a tourist’s curiosity. Disneyland, San Simeon, the Midwest wax museum — these become case studies in how authenticity is staged and consumed. The argument is cool rather than alarmist: hyperreality isn’t a conspiracy, it’s a cultural logic. We don’t just tolerate simulations; we prefer them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"725\" data-end=\"939\"\u003eSharp, funny, occasionally sly (classic Eco) the book sits at the hinge between postmodern theory and cultural reportage. It remains unsettlingly current — a reminder that the spectacle was already humming long before the feed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"725\" data-end=\"939\"\u003eFirst edition hardback in near fine condition. Very collectible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44064020430931,"sku":null,"price":50.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/ScholarsCreatingDigitalMapsofSpinoza_sEthics-2026-03-10T213057.110.png?v=1773138680","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/travels-in-hyper-reality-by-umberto-eco","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}