An engaging and informative cultural history of glasses that explores their origins, stigmas, future in technology, and more. Eyeglasses have become so commonplace we hardly think about them-unless we can't find them. Yet glasses have been controversial throughout history. Roger Bacon pioneered using lenses to see and then spent a decade in a medieval prison for advocating that he could “fix” God's creations by improving our eyesight. Even today, people take off their glasses before having their picture taken, despite how necessary they are. A Four-Eyed World: How Glasses Changed the Way We See is the first book to investigate the experience of wearing glasses and contacts and their role in culture. David King Dunaway encourages readers to take a look at how they literally see the world through what they wear. He explores everything from the history of deficient eyesight and how glasses are made to portrayals of those who wear glasses in media, the stigma surrounding them, and the future of augmented and virtual reality glasses, highlighting how glasses have shaped, and continue to shape, who we are. Interwoven is Dunaway's own experience of spending a week without his glasses, which he has used since childhood, to see the world around him and his newfound appreciation for his visual aids. This is the story of how we see the world and how our ability to see things has evolved, ultimately asking: How have two cloudy, quarter-sized discs of crystal or glass originally riveted together become so essential to human existence? Shakespeare famously said eyes are windows to the soul, but what about people who see only by covering theirs with glasses? Readers will find out together through this fascinating and insightful cultural history of one of humanity's greatest inventions. “ A Four-Eyed World takes readers on a witty, eye-opening journey through the history of eyewear.” ― Optical Prism “A thoroughly delightful, information-packed look into living with lenses.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Dunaway gives us a revealing new lens through which to look at our history, our culture, each other and even ourselves.” ―Barbara Freese, author of “Coal: A Human History” “Enlightening and amusing, A Four-Eyed World blends history, philosophy, literature, poetry, and the author's personal experience to analyze the eyeglasses that help us see straight. David King Dunaway reveals that there's a lot more to those glasses than those of us who wear them might have imagined.” ―Donald A. Ritchie, US Senate Historian Emeritus “I have worn glasses for nearly 20 years, and I never thought about the history or the personal sacrifices that were made for those of us with a need for clearer vision to actually see more clearly. David King Dunaway weaves a well-researched and intriguing book about the origin of glasses and the people who recognized that humans had a part in charting their course, and he does it with a beautiful and practiced story-telling flair. Dunaway's personal relationship with his own lenses helps us all to see that these indispensable necessities deserve their rightful place alongside the things that define each of us. A Four-Eyed World will leave you proud, if not appreciative to be counted among the billions of “glassers” whose lives have been enriched as a result of their second set of eyes.” ―Deb Haaland, former Congresswoman, NM and former US Secretary of the Interior “A central element of Dunaway's book is the eye-opening cultural history of eyeglasses ... Dunaway delightfully rolls in storytelling and personal ocular history ... [An] important, comprehensive work.” ― Albuquerque Journal David King Dunaway , professor of English at the Universities of New Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the author and editor of 10 books of history and biography. His books include How Can I Keep From Singing: Pete Seeger , Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology , and Huxley in Hollywood , which is currently optioned for a feature film by Mint-Productions, U.K. He's also co-author of Writing the Southwest , and author of the anthology Route 66 Companion . His books have been translated and serialized internationally, and his essays published in The New York Times , San Francisco Chronicle , and the Virginia Quarterly Review . His book tours have included appearances on PBS, CNBC, and CSPAN's Book TV , as well as dozens of regional and local stations.