The Expendable Reader collects the key writings of John McHale (1922–1978): artist, theorist, graphic designer, sociologist, cofounder of the Independent Group and (according to Lawrence Alloway) “the father of Pop”. It compiles over a dozen key texts from a range of rare magazines, bringing unavailable material back into the hands of a broader audience. In addition to these writings, The Expendable Readerreproduces samples of the dynamic page layouts deployed in McHale’s texts. All of McHale’s writings wrestle with questions of expendability and the future, and the way these phenomena affect traditional conceptions of culture. While many of the terms he dwells on, such as “expendability”, “lifestyle” and “network”, have become central terms of contemporary cultural criticism, McHale’s voice is strangely missing from the debate. This volume restores McHale’s thinking to its proper prominence.
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