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Title: Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the Mouse by David E. Brown ISBN: 0262025086 Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $32.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.25
Rating: 3
Summary: Meets But Does Not Exceed Specification
Comment: * David E. Brown's INVENTING MODERN AMERICA is an extensive
set of profiles of prominent American inventors, including
famous faces such Henry Ford, Robert Goddard, Elmer Sperry,
George Washington Carver, Steve Wozniak, and R. Buckminster
"Bucky" Fuller; along with less famous faces such as
Garrett Morgan (traffic signal), Ole Evinrude (outboard
motor), Wilson Greatbach (pacemaker), Stephanie Kwolek
(Kevlar), and dozens of others.
This book covers a lot of ground and discusses many
interesting people. It is neatly laid out and nicely
illustrated. However, despite the fact that it pretty
much delivers what it promises to deliver, I found
less than sparkling reading, even though I have a
fairly wide range of interests in technology.
The fact that this book is defined as a set of short
biographical essays about a wide range of inventors does
impose some inescapable limitations. The text becomes a little
repetitive and, because of the necessarily small size of
each chapter, tends toward the superficial. There is also
the issue that the range of inventions is so very wide that
few readers will find all of them interesting.
Now given the definition and goals of this book such
limitations are inevitable, but there is a more specific
problem in that the writing is uninspired. The essays
tend to sound like corporate public-relations pieces,
coming across as sanitized and a bit too high-flown.
OK, I would be cynical to complain about the high-flown tone
too much, I can't claim it's an inherently bad thing, it's
just that a little bit of this stuff goes a long way.
These *are* extraordinary people, their accomplishments
are impressive, and the praise is deserved.
Still, consider the chapter on Buckminster Fuller, which
follows the mantra of his admirers in playing him up as a
visionary genius. The reality was that Bucky Fuller
arguably was about half genius and half con-artist.
What is absolutely unarguable was that he was a
three-ring-circus, five-alarm-fire doubletalker, the best
in the business. Listening to him pour out a continuous
line of plausible-sounding gibberish was an experience.
What was particularly bewildering was wondering
if he honestly believed it all himself. We'll never know.
This peculiar combination of traits made him vastly amusing,
and failing to give a more balanced view of Fuller makes him
colorless. David MaCaulay's BUILDING BIG did a much
better job on Fuller, praising his sparkling geodesic domes
while showing how he stole ideas from his students and patented
them as his own.
Now that I think of it, INVENTING MODERN AMERICA would have
been an excellent book if McCauley had written it. Alas,
not all people have his writing skill.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great Way To Inspire Young Inventors!
Comment: If your child is heading off to higher education, or is just looking for a book that has some great information for a middle to high school book report, a parent can't go wrong with the book "Inventing Modern America: From The Microwave To The Mouse" by David E. Brown (2002, MIT Press, 209 Pages).
One of the features that grab the reader right off the bat is the fact that the book centers upon modern innovations, such as that friendly little gadget that makes home computer use such a joy--otherwise known as a 'mouse'. Another great inclusion is the contributions of Black inventors, such as Dr. George Washington Carver and Garrett Morgan. No, we are not talking about just a 'paragraph or two', we are talking about royal treatment of each of the inventors contained within its covers--including glimpses at other inventions by featured inventors.
Of course, to a real info-junkie, the book is too short. However, it does provide a lot of inspiration to those who have the talent and the drive to invent. It is an encouraging work, as it talks not only about the successes of each inventor and innovator, the book is full of diagrams, photos, and pictures of many other inventions by those selected for discussion.
If you are looking for a book to encourage and uplift your future inventor, you can't go wrong with presenting a copy of this work to your son or daughter--or even as a gift for yourself, if you have that hidden desire to want to create a better mousetrap; or even improving upon something that already exists. It is a reference book that will keep on giving, and inspiring long after its purchase. I highly recommend it.
Mike Ramey
Rating: 5
Summary: Best book ever!
Comment: this was the best book i have ever read in my entire life! it really made me think about were all this stuff we use in our everyday life comes from. 3, no 4 thumbs up!
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Title: They All Laughed... From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives by Ira Flatow ISBN: 0060924152 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones, John O'Brien ISBN: 0385320434 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: June, 1994 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Inventing America, Single-Volume Edition by Pauline Maier, Merritt Roe Smith, Alexander Keyssar, Daniel J. Kevles ISBN: 0393974340 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $95.15 |
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Title: The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories About Inventions by Don L. Wulffson ISBN: 0141302046 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: March, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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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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