I'm not sure why I have such a passion for the inessentials of life...it probably reveals something deeply disturbing about my personality. And, of course, it raises the question of what an "inessential" truly is...as it's possible to rationalize even the most bizarre purchases (trust me on this, I am a grand master of the art of rationalization). On occasion though even I have to admit defeat, like when I came across this boarskin matchbook cover. It's a gorgeously luxurious piece of packaging for such a drearily basic item but unless you're a smoker (or a pyromaniac) there are very few reasons to carry a book of matches around with you.

And I'm not going to advocate smoking purely on an accessory basis...though I will admit that my own brief fling with nicotine was due to a pack of Gauloise and a quirky little click-top lighter from Kookai inscribed with a French slogan (luckily I was the most awkward smoker in the history of mankind so it was a short-lived passion). Which leaves me, justification wise, with the many forms of pyromancy, like...

• Alomancy, divination by salt, one type of which involves casting salt into a fire.
• Botanomancy, divination by burning plants.
• Capnomancy, divination by smoke; light, thin smoke that rose straight up was a good omen; otherwise, a bad one.
• Causinomancy, divination by burning (non-specific as to the object burned).
• Daphnomancy (also, Empyromancy), divination by burning laurel leaves.
• Osteomancy, divination using bones, one type of which involves heating to produce cracks.
• Plastromancy, divination using turtle plastrons; in China, this was done by heating pits carved into them.
• Scapulimancy, divination by scapulae; in Asia and North America, this was done pyromantically.
• Sideromancy, divination by burning straw.