Neuromancer Bookends

August 1, 2024 7:24 AM

My partner got these bookends for me as a gift. The figure is reading Neruomancer, which I love, but I do not understand. Google Lens reveals a few other examples, but no explanation as far as I can tell. So, why Neruomancer?
posted by gregr to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Accoutrements is/was the company that became Archie McPhee, purveyor of fine(?) novelty products. It may not be a deeper mystery than someone at Archie McPhee thought Neuromancer was cool/would sell bookends.
posted by zamboni at 7:47 AM on August 1 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Yup, here he is in Archie McPhee Catalog 46:

E 10183. READING ELF BOOKENDS

This scholarly little elf is using two books as an improvised chair, and happily
reading another book that is more to his size. He sports a Mohawk and a
gothic crown, and all we've ever seen him read is Neuromancer. Made of
stone-like resin, these greenish-gray bookends are 6" x 7½" and weigh 4 lbs.

10183. READING ELF BOOKENDS. $32.95 PER PAIR

posted by zamboni at 8:09 AM on August 1 [6 favorites]

Archie McPhee has a podcast episode discussing that specific catalog, if you're interested.
posted by zamboni at 8:14 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I think you overestimate how much the makers of stuff really think it through. Somebody crafted a figure, thought it would be cool if said figure was reading Neuromancer.
posted by theora55 at 9:19 AM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I think the “why” of Neuromancer is at least partially answered by “Pacific northwest” and “early 90s”
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:42 AM on August 1 [10 favorites]

So, why...
Literature, in this case Neuromancer, serves as an object-anchor, something that can be returned to, speculated upon, something that gives shape to the theory at hand [Reflected Spaces: “Heterotopia” and the Creation of Space in William Gibson’s Neuromancer ]
posted by HearHere at 10:08 AM on August 1

I think it originally said "ROMANCE" and somebody at the factory was like "nah, we want to sell this to guys" and just scratched in the initial "NEU" and final "R".
posted by phooky at 4:05 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]