A personal and insightful look at the extraordinary life and times of eyewear from the Ancient Greeks to Google Glass by the author of The Bus We Loved and A Walk in the Park.

'A cultural historian with a touch of the Betjemans and a lick of the Meades about him' Monocle magazine

'A fascinating, informative, revelatory book' William Boyd, Guardian on A Walk in the Park

'Travis Elborough is becoming a latter-day Alan Bennett. Let loose in an array of reference libraries, he summons many a curious fact ... from the shelves, which makes for a rich narrative ... Alluring detail fills every page' Christopher Hawtree, Spectator on A Walk in the Park

There are four billion adults around the globe who wear glasses. It will make you look at specs with fresh eyes New Statesman