bric-a-brac

Mr. Redden, who specialized in rare manuscripts, collectibles, memorabilia and celebrity bric-a-brac — and also in generating excitement around such objects, turning auctions into high entertainment — died on May 11 at his home in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.

It is a realistic, down-to-earth police procedural that’s swarming with supernatural beings and lots of storytelling bric-a-brac.

Essentially, he adds, “I did a ton of schooling to return to what I was doing as a kid, burning my Transformers and making new materials out of the quotidian bric-a-brac in front of me.”

The company’s multimedia collages, often blending canonical treasures with campy bric-a-brac, have worked to undo entrenched assumptions of theatrical perception.

As Norwich observes, you can chance upon worthy material not just in your reading but also in overheard conversations, advertisements, even on souvenir bric-a-brac.