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Yellow planner with spiral binding on a white background
2026-2027 Academic Diary - Ochre Yellow
Pocket-sized pen in blue by Papersmiths
Pocket Pen - Haze Blue

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Silver pocket pen with Papersmiths logo

Pocket Pen - Raw Steel

Color: RAW STEEL

£7.00

Maroon pencil with silver and gold accents on a white background

Pocket Pencil - Mulberry Red

Color: MULBERRY RED

£6.00

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What is Culture For?

School of Life

£8.16
£8.16 £12.00
32% off
Final sale
Taxes included.

Full Description

How to find compassion, hope and perspective in the arts.

Our societies frequently proclaim their enormous esteem for culture. Music, film, literature and the visual arts enjoy high prestige and are viewed by many as getting close to the meaning of life. But what is culture really for?

This book proposes that works of culture were all made, in one way or another, with the idea of improving the way we live. This book connects a range of cultural masterpieces with our own dilemmas and pains around love, work and society, and invites us to see culture as a resource with which to address the complex agonies of being human. It provides us with enduring keys to unlocking culture as a way of transforming our lives.

'Great works of culture were all made, in one way or another, with the idea of changing lives.'

'The power of culture arguably best emerges when we rely on it as a therapeutic tool that can be used in a quest to grow somewhat less isolated, frightened, shamed, restricted or skittish.'

'By interacting with art, we encounter the spirit or voice of someone who profoundly sympathises with suffering, but who allows us to sense that through it, we’re connecting with something universal and unashamed.'

Chapters Include:

  • Companionship
  • Hope
  • Balance
  • Compassion
  • Knowledge
  • Encouragement
  • Appreciation
  • Perspective

110 pages

12 x 11 cm
Item is out of stock
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Things that make you wonder why nobody thought of them sooner

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Notebook bands, clips, sharpeners, rulers and handy extras

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Thoughtfully sent - Beautifully wrapped with a handwritten note

Sending as a gift?:

Gift Wrapping Service

Classic Gift Wrapping Service

£5.00

Order before 12pm and receive your order as soon as: Thursday, October 29
Shipping & returns

Any questions?

Simply email online@paper-smiths.live and we'll be happy to help.

What is Culture For?

£8.16 £12.00
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Five mechanical pencils in assorted colors (olive green, navy blue, beige, gold, and cream) arranged in an open bright orange envelope against a dark maroon background.
 
Five mechanical pencils in assorted colors (olive green, navy blue, beige, gold, and cream) arranged in an open bright orange envelope against a dark maroon background.
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Notebook Set - Sorrel Red

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Three slim retractable ballpoint pens in red, tan, and pink are displayed upright on a dark burgundy background, with one tan pencil and a pink pocket pen lying horizontally in front.
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A blue softcover notebook with a black elastic band holding three pens, photographed against a dark burgundy background. The brand name 'Papersmiths' is visible on the pen labels.
 
A blue softcover notebook with a black elastic band holding three pens, photographed against a dark burgundy background. The brand name 'Papersmiths' is visible on the pen labels.
A blue notebook with a black strap and two pens, presented in a white gift box filled with pink shredded paper on a dark burgundy background.
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Trusted Stationer of 13+ years

Papersmiths started with a single shelf of stationery in a Bristol design studio. A decade on, we still choose every piece the same way - for its story, its tactility, and the way it makes you want to sit down and write something. Visit us in Chelsea or Brighton, or shop the collection we've spent years designing and refining.