Apropos of Something: A History of Irrelevance and Relevance

Name: Apropos of Something: A History of Irrelevance and Relevance
Price: 11.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: Tamarkin, Elisa

by Tamarkin, Elisa

Nonfiction

5.0 (1)

444 pages~7.4 hr readPublished by The University of Chicago Press

$11.9960% off peak

Last checked: Apr 18, 2026

Price history: $0.50 – $29.96

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $0.50 – $29.96

Buy on Amazon - $11.99

0 readers are tracking this book's price

Fans of these authors will like this...

Bruno Latour
Rebecca Solnit
David Graeber

Fans of these books will like this...

The Attention Merchants
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Everything Is Miscellaneous

Perfect for you if...

You enjoy thinking about how meaning gets made and why some ideas stick while others vanish.
You're curious about the history of philosophy and rhetoric, but want something less academic and more grounded in real examples.
You notice yourself asking 'why does this matter?' and want a rigorous but readable exploration of that question.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer books with a single argument that builds in a straight line rather than exploring a concept from multiple angles.
You want practical advice or self-improvement rather than intellectual history and theory.
You're looking for a quick read. This is dense, layered thinking that demands attention.

About this book

Apropos of Something examines the concepts of irrelevance and relevance through a series of interconnected essays. The work begins with an introduction on accidentals and moves through topics including the threshold between clue and hint, the nature of what makes something interesting, and how attention and selection function in perception. The book explores salience and how meaning is determined, alongside questions of communication, translation, and spirit. Later sections address relevance as a philosophical concept, resurrection and reconstruction of ideas, the history of fallacies and critical sophistry, and the role of news in orientation and understanding.

Get the best deal every time

We track price drops, sale patterns, and predict when this book will go on offer next.

Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$0.50 – $29.96

Currently on sale at $11.99 — 60% off peak. Price has dropped 18 times over the last 4 years. Goes on sale roughly every 38 days. Typically stays discounted for 105 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #1,489K in the Kindle store — a niche title.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 5.0★ from 1 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 5.0 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $11.99. It typically returns to around $29.96.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.