I picked up this book assuming it would be mostly about how advertising finds a way to sneak into our lives in the modern, technology-filled world. While the book did get into those topics and present interesting views on what that does for our life (both positive and negative), the more enjoyable part is actually the 80% of the book before that that takes the reader on the odyssey from religious/government propaganda (the first and really only initial use of advertising) through the development of commercial advertising through posters, newspapers, radio, television, and more. A very engaging and educational book, it definitely succeeded in making me think more carefully in which the ways my attention is harvested and sold. I do think it's unfortunate that it ended on a bit of a 'doom and gloom' tone of what the internet and mobile culture has done to attention mining, especially given the journey the narrative took us before that about how we are constantly innovating, improving, and 'restructuring the deal' as consumers.