I’m becoming a glutton for a mail order catalogue

Drawn in by the dreams that land on his doormat, Will Gore tries to resist opening his wallet

Advertising brochures evidently work. In fact, I find them ever more compelling (Getty/iStock)

The mail order catalogue is becoming something of a misnomer. Most of the booklets that drop through the door, full of glossy product pictures, no longer contain order forms to complete and return. Rather, they are inviting you to turn on your computer and visit a website, where half the products in the catalogue usually turn out to be unavailable in the size or colour of your choice.

Still, these advertising brochures evidently work. In fact, I find them ever more compelling.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the arrival of an Argos catalogue was a moment of great excitement. My brother and I would pore over its hundreds of pages, imagining the toys we’d be able to play with, marvelling at the enormous stereos and televisions and generally feeling that we were not worthy of the material opportunities that existed in the world. As far as I remember, we never bought anything.