The Norton History of Technology (Norton History of Science)

"Humans are tool-makers...and the first record of humankind is that of their tools, " Donald Cardwell writes in this absorbing history of technology from prehistory to the present, from stone implements, the wheel, and the first geared machines to the transistor and the supercomputer. With a keen eye for the insight that marks a breakthrough in human problem-solving and a wide-ranging sympathy for its social and cultural contexts, Cardwell chronicles how human curiosity and inventiveness slowly led to the first tools and machines; how technological progress accelerated over time, as major breakthroughs released floods of further inventions; the close links between "pure" science and technology; and the human factors - personal and social - that help or hinder technological change. Casting fresh light on every aspect of technology, Cardwell also challenges us to consider such issues as the influence on technology of different religions and cultural practices, including a society's level of political freedom; the role of market forces; the comparative technological advantages of nations as disparate as Japan and the United States; and the potential that women hold as the greatest remaining untapped resource for invention and innovation. As accessible and engaging as it is informative, this book will reward anyone curious about the tools humanity has devised to transform its place in the world.

The latest volume in Norton's "History of Science" series is as sweeping in scope as its predecessors (John North's Norton History of Astronomy and Cosmology, LJ 7/94). Cardwell, distinguished historian at the University of Manchester, divides his synthesis into three broad chronological periods: the ancients, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern era. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance to technical development of contemporary thinking about knowledge and progress, pointing out that a true understanding of the history of technology demands some familiarity with the thought of Aristotle, Bacon, Aquinas, et al. This work is not the easiest reading at times, but as a rare (and probably the best) single-volume treatment of an almost overwhelming subject usually covered in multi-volume sets, it deserves a place in all academic and public science collections.
Donald Marion, Univ. of Minnesota Science & Engineering Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.