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Title: The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are by Henry Petroski ISBN: 0-679-74039-2 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 01 February, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3 (16 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A little dry, but worthwhile
Comment: Petroski's field is design, but his take on it is the history of design rather than the "science" of design as Donald Norman (of The Design of Everyday Things fame). Although their approach is different, the two men share some of the same insights into how and why objects are the way they were. But where Norman's philosophy is that an object can be designed to be "better," Petroski feels that an object will always be less than perfect. His theory, in part, is that because most objects have multiple purposes, the object can not perform any single task perfectly. This idea of the competition of purposes is best illustrated from the book by Petroski's examination of eating utensils. The perfect utensil would be one that could cut and lift food to the mouth for eating. But knifes that cut have difficulty in lifting, forks are almost useless with a soup, and a spoon doesn't cut well. By showing us the evolution of the flatware selection (which remains imperfect), Petroski gives weight to his theory.
But I'm not wholly convinced. Perhaps it's because I read Norman first that I want to defend him. I want to believe that objects can be bettered--an interface can be easier to use, etc. The difference between Norman and Petroski is also one of style. Norman's prose is almost light weight compared to the dense, multi-syllabic approach used by Petroski, and Norman wasn't afraid to use terms and ideas that were not in lay usage. It could be that Norman's short columnar structure breaks up the duty of trying to convey so much information that his is more readable prose. It could also be that Petroski likes the language of academia, even when it begins to obfuscate. From the design standpoint, both authors are worthwhile. It is important to see specific examples of real world solutions to design problems to come up with ideas for our own designs, be it a fork, a building, or software.
Rating: 2
Summary: Delivers less than promised
Comment: Mr. Petroski labors at too much length to describe how several common items became what they are today as a result of the design process and subsequent evolution as a result of engineers' continual desires for improvment. This exercise is less successful than earlier works which focused on the engineering process and used infrastructure projects such as buildings and bridges for examples.
Lay readers, and even engineers, would be better served by reading "Remaking the World" or "To Engineer Is Human" which provide more insight into the engineering process and which are more relevant and connected to the common structures and objects that we take for granted every day.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good Tech History book
Comment: This is a scholarly look at the history of invention. Henry Petroski is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Duke and has written several books of this genre. The book is well written, has many footnotes, and an eight page bibliography. While the book is not technical per se, it would probably be most enjoyable by other engineers and fans of technological history.
The author tracks the engineering and development of several common devices of everyday life. Two that he spends a lot of time on are the fork and the paper clip. There are several full chapters examining issues such as the first historical records of use, patents, and the development of companies and industries as these items became incredibly popular. Other items receiving lesser treatment include wheelbarrows, tin cans, and McDonalds hamburger containers.
This book will give you an appreciation of the time frame that great inventions occupy. Most of the items discussed here are developed over several lifetimes, or at least several working lifetimes. This alone should be very instructive to anyone trying to get a feel for the history of invention. The histories given are very detailed with names, dates, addresses, patent numbers and drawings, and the economic data (manufacturing costs, prices, etc.). If you find intriguing the question of where and how did we get all of the modern devices that we use everyday, you will enjoy this book.
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Title: Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design by Henry Petroski ISBN: 1400040507 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Pencil : A History of Design and Circumstance by Henry Petroski ISBN: 0679734155 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 10 November, 1992 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing by Henry Petroski ISBN: 0674463684 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers by Sharon Rose, Neil Schlager ISBN: 1579122744 Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Pub Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Highly Selective Dictionary For The Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene H. Ehrlich ISBN: 0062701908 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 02 July, 1997 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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