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*Starred Review* The study of civilization is often the study of inventions and how they transformed human development. Inventors and Inventions is designed to introduce students to an array of inventors from the past and present while encouraging “interest in and knowledge of science” by exploring the history, development, and utility of a wide variety of inventions. This set contains 172 alphabetically arranged articles on a range of inventors as well as 21 overview articles. Articles are signed, although no mention is made anywhere in the set of author affiliations or credentials. Inventors include the well known (Alexander Graham Bell, Galileo Galilei) and the less famous, such as Mary Anderson (windshield wiper) and Patricia Bath (laser cataract surgery). Some inventions have so permeated society, we forget there was an inventor; think of Coca-Cola (John Pemberton), the safety pin (Walter Hunt), and eBay (Pierre Omidyar). Each biographical article begins with a cover page containing inventor name, invention, dates of birth and death (if applicable), photo or illustration, and a concise introduction. Articles cover the early life, education, and career of the inventor and also put the invention in social and historical context. Many entries contain one or more special-feature boxes that explore how an inventor’s major invention works and quotations drawn from primary sources. (A cumulative listing of these quotations would have been a highly used feature.) All entries include numerous full-color illustrative materials, a time line of essential dates in the inventor’s life, guides to further reading (both print and nonprint), and see also references to related articles within the set. The 21 overview articles summarize technological developments within particular disciplines (“Computers,” “Health and Medicine”) or discuss broad topics (“Accidents and Mistakes,” “Patents”). Volume 1 begins with a set table of contents and a thematic outline of contents (which, unfortunately, does not list the volume or page number of each entry). Each volume contains a volume-specific table of contents. Volumes 1 through 4 contain volume indexes, while Volume 5 has a comprehensive set index only. Volume 5 also has a set glossary (which might have been more useful found in each volume), a comprehensive list of further-reading resources, a biographical index, and an index of inventions. Marshall Cavendish obviously recognizes the research needs and interests of the target audience for this set. The choice of inventors, the inclusion of more than 1,000 full-color illustrations, and the highly readable and engaging text all create a valuable reference for students and browsers alike. Schools and public libraries serving upper-elementary through high-school students where the study of inventors and inventions is a curriculum topic will want to give full consideration to this resource. Grades 6-12. --Shauna Yusko
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Inventors and Inventions
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Unknown. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0761477616I4N00