The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to Be as They Are.

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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 02/01/1994
ISBN: 9780679740391
Pages: 304
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.24w x 0.65d

Review Citations: Rec Ref Bks in Paperback 01/01/2000 pg. 93