This 2000-word invited review discusses each chapter and the overall concept of Hendon and Massey's book, which brings out the use in many cases of a single object as a source of semiotic, social and political analysis. One of the things that emerges as most clearly “designed” in the volume under review is history itself. When Herbert Simon proposed in 1969 that “everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones,” he was thinking about designing the future. This volume emphasizes how we design certain pasts to suit and shape our chosen narratives. It is a truism of historiography that histories are selective and formative. What this fascinating collection adds is a perception that the design of history is as important as the history of design, and that it takes a multitude of forms both tangible and intangible. Those who succeed in designing the past may control the future.