Inventing the 20th Century: 100 Inventions That Shaped the World

Van Dulken, Stephen

ISBN 10: 0712308660 / ISBN 13: 9780712308663

Published by British Library Science Reference and Information, 2000

About this Item

First edition. Light wear to boards. Content is clean and bright. Gift message to ffep. Good DJ with some edge wear.

Seller Inventory # 9999-999103355655

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Inventing the 20th Century: 100 Inventions That Shaped the World
• Publisher: British Library Science Reference and Information
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0712308660
• ISBN 13: 9780712308663
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

Imagine your average day without television, vacuum cleaners, photocopiers and personal stereos. This title offers window onto the technology of the 20th century. By combining a brief history of each patent (the zip fastener, the post-it note) with a copy of the patent illustration, it reveals the ways in which many of the most basic aspects of our material existence have been revolutionized through specific objects.

Review

Nobody can complain that the 1900s were boring. Author Stephen Van Dulken observes the transition away from industrial society and past the information age through the world's patent offices in Inventing the Twentieth Century. This collection of 100 brief glimpses into important or oddball inventions is organized by decade, so the reader can see that while some things have changed dramatically--from the electric washing machine to Dolly the cloned sheep in just 86 years--others remain static, like our still-fervent quest for the perfect teabag.

Each entry consists of a page of text describing the patent and a facing page of diagrams from the application, some of which are perplexing or amusing. From the frivolous (snowboard) to the deadly serious (genetic fingerprinting) and even lifesaving (Viagra--?), Van Dulken collects inventions with the widest interest to a general audience. Each decade's section is introduced with a brief contextual exposition that lays the groundwork for understanding the circumstances that permitted each inventor's inspiration to strike. Inventing the Twentieth Century is great fun to read, but it also challenges its readers and inspires thinking about technology and our collective future. Let's hear it for pleasant surprises! --Rob Lightner