The Evolution of Useful Things - by Henry Petroski (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>Petroski tells fascinating stories about the arduous processes that resulted in paper clips, Post-its, Phillips-head screwdrivers, Scotch tape, and fast-food "clamshell" containers. "Petroski . . . an examines the simplest . . . tools in our lives with an appraising eye".--Washington Post Book World. 45 illus.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p> How did the table fork acquire a fourth tine? What advantage does the Phillips-head screw have over its single-grooved predecessor? Why does the paper clip look the way it does? What makes Scotch tape Scotch? <p/> In this delightful book Henry, Petroski takes a microscopic look at artifacts that most of us count on but rarely contemplate, including such icons of the everyday as pins, Post-its, and fast-food clamshell containers. At the same time, he offers a convincing new theory of technological innovation as a response to the perceived failures of existing products--suggesting that irritation, and not necessity, is the mother of invention.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>A celebration of inventiveness...By cataloging the clutter of our desks, closets, and workbenches, and giving them a human history, Petroski makes us feel more at home in our homes.- <i>Newsweek <p/></i>Petroski is a valuable resource--an engineer who examines the simplest, most ubiquitous tools in our live with an appraising eye.- <i>Washington Post Book World <p/></i>Mr. Petroski's case histories delightfully illustrate his thesis... You never know when you will turn a page and find some tiny corner of your mind enlightened.- <i>The New York Times <p/></i>Petroski has an eye for the mundane that distracts and delights... [His] wealth of literary and cultural references runs from Aristotle... to Russell Baker... The book has substance.- <i>Newsday</i></p><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>Henry Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University. The author of more than a dozen previous books, he lives in Durham, North Carolina, and Arrowsic, Maine.
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