The Pinball Effect: HOW RENAISSANCE WATER GARDENS MADE THE CARBURETTOR POSSIBLE AND OTHER JOURNEYS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE.

James Burke

ISBN 10: 0316116106 / ISBN 13: 9780316116107

Published by Back Bay Books, 1997

About this Item

1997. Reprint. Paperback. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780316116107

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Pinball Effect: HOW RENAISSANCE WATER GARDENS MADE THE CARBURETTOR POSSIBLE AND OTHER JOURNEYS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE.
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316116106
• ISBN 13: 9780316116107
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Using 100s of fascinating examples, James Burke shows how old established ideas in science and technology often lead to serendipitous and amazing modern discoveries and innovations.

From the Back Cover

The Pinball Effect takes the reader on many different journeys through the web of knowledge. Knowledge, it turns out, has many unforeseen and surprising effects. The book, for instance, owes its existence to German jeweler Johannes Gutenberg's getting the date wrong one day in the fifteenth century. James Burke, author and host of the highly rated documentary series Connections 2, draws upon years of research to examine the intrigues and surprises on the journey through knowledge, a trip with all the twists and turns of a detective story. Ultimately, the larger picture that emerges has far-reaching and important implications for the future, revealing why the fundamental mechanism of change is the way things come together and connect. To add to the excitement, The Pinball Effect has been designed to be read interactively: throughout the book, cross-chapter references mimic computer hypertext "hot links" and allow readers to leap from one chapter to another. The result is a fascinating tour through history's most dramatic innovations.