Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

Exits are all around but rarely remarked upon. Every day, exit signs mark the difference between travelling and arriving at a destination and ever-present emergency routes out. Exits are at the core of contemporary cultural and political discussions (Brexit, independence referenda, polls), as well as personal liberations. But instead of a way out, do exits ever serve to constrict our choices?

To exit is to cross a boundary, swapping one reality for another, taking the option of being either in or out, here or there. Part investigation into what it really means to 'exit' and part city travelogue, Laura Waddell's Exit goes beyond the door to see what's on the other side.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in the The Atlantic.