Laboratory is a book in Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, this volume by Dr. Emily York. Due out 29th Oct 2026 from Bloomsbury on their Academic imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This series takes ordinary (even banal) objects such as dust, waste, concrete, and wallpaper, and examines them, elevates them, to objects of honest scrutiny and contemplation. The laboratory as a philosophical concept in Professor York's gaze yields up a wealth of otherwise missed, easily unexamined context, looking at how laboratories have played a large part in scientific discovery (obviously) but also in media, film, and everyday life.
For those of us who work in STEM (in labs), the author really nails the often invisible, grinding, sometimes monotonous, behind the scenes tasks, and does a good job of contrasting the reality with the flash-bang as depicted in cinema and other popular media.
Four stars. Interesting and erudite. It would be a good choice for public or post secondary school library acquisition, or for philosophy minded collectors.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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