‘Drawing from such diverse sources as Newton’s Principia, military manuals, eighteenth-century games, and cookbooks among others, Lorraine Daston seeks to define the role rules have played in the development of Western culture. Overall, this book is a wonderful, accessible, and very eclectic exploration of the fact that while rules can liberate or subjugate, ease or frustrate, they ultimately are a necessary part of the fabric that makes up our experience.’