The Evolution of Useful Things

Petroski, Henry

ISBN 10: 0679740392 / ISBN 13: 9780679740391

Edité par Vintage, 1994

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. N° de réf. du vendeur 00103051286

Synopsis :

   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?

   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.

À propos de l'auteur: 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.

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : The Evolution of Useful Things
Éditeur : Vintage
Date d'édition : 1994
Reliure : Couverture souple
Etat : Very Good