Mechanization Takes Command: A Contribution to Anonymous History

First published in 1948, Mechanization Takes Command is an examination of mechanization and its effects on everyday life. A monumental figure in the field of architectural history, Sigfried Giedion traces the evolution and resulting philosophical implications of such disparate innovations as the slaughterhouse, the Yale lock, the assembly line, tractors, ovens, and “comfort” as defined by advancements in furniture design. A groundbreaking text when originally published, Giedion’s pioneering work remains an important contribution to architecture, philosophy, and technology studies.

Sigfried Giedion (1888–1968) taught at the Federal Institute of Technology and was Mellon Lecturer at the Washington National Gallery and the Charles Elliot Norton Lecturer at Harvard University. His other works include Space, Time, and Architecture and The Eternal Present.