You won't take your mirror for granted after reading Pendergrast's book. He maintains that mirrors are the first technology for contemplation of self and that its invention is arguably as important as that of the wheel. He describes the 2,500-year history of the mirror including the bloodthirsty smoking gods of the Toltecs to the mirrored rooms of wealthy Romans created for their orgies to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light.