Overview
We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives, and more. But emoji's impact has never been explored in full. Named for the world's most popular pictogram, Face with Tears of Joy tells the whole story of emoji for the first time. In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from their birth in 1990s Japan, traces their Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji's ever-expanding lexicon. Along the way, Houston explores vital developments in tech history and reveals the body of technocrats governing this 3,600-character language. He also addresses the eggplants in the room: risqué emojis, controversy, and accusations of ""selling out."" Finally, readers learn about the future of emoji, as some of the language's pioneers consider what comes next. Face with Tears of Joy is a language- and tech-lover's delight, stuffed with gloriously nerdy details, illustrations, and fun.
Full Product Details
Author: Keith Houston
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Imprint: WW Norton & Co
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 21.10cm
Weight: 0.327kg
ISBN: 9781324075141
ISBN 10: 1324075147
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 15 July 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
[Houston] writes with zest. He's an enthusiast if not an obsessive, with a voracious appetite for details.--Bill Marvel, The Dallas Morning News Houston is both witty and intensely detailed.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Mr. Houston savors evocative style. . . . [His] unapologetic nerdiness is matched by a jaunty style.--Henry Hitchings, The Wall Street Journal
[A] fun romp through the evolution of digital language...this is equal parts informative and delightful.-- ""Publishers Weekly"" Houston's enthusiasm for the emoji's creativity, use, and function comes to the fore, and reading the book feels like grabbing a coffee with a friend and listening to them happily describe their most recent interests and discoveries.--Monique Martinez ""Library Journal"" Houston knows that any language whose mascot is a smiling poop pile can be treated only so seriously, so the text is charmingly filled with emoji as illustrations and within sentences, making it both a product of a new way of communicating as well as a study of it. A pleasurable and well-researched journey into pop iconography.-- ""Kirkus Reviews""
Author Information
Keith Houston is the author of Face with Tears of Joy, Empire of the Sum, Shady Characters, and The Book. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and on Mental Floss, BBC Culture, and Literary Hub. He lives in Linlithgow, Scotland.
