Overview
From the bestselling author of The Knowledge Web come fifty mesmerizing journeys into the history of technology, each following a chain of consequential events that ends precisely where it began. Whether exploring electromagnetic fields, the origin of hot chocolate, or DNA fingerprinting, these essays all illustrate the surprisingly circular nature of change. In ""Room with (Half) a View,"" for instance, Burke muses about the partly obscured railway bridge outside his home on the Thames, a musing which sets off a chain of thought that leads from the bridge's engineer to Samuel Morse, to firearms inventor Sam Colt, and finally to a trombonist named Gustav Holst, who once lived in the very house that blocks Burke's view. So it goes with Burke's entertaining and informative essays as each one highlights the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated events and innovations. Romantic poetry leads to brandy distillation; tonic water connects through Leibniz to the first explorers to reach the North Pole. This unique collection is sure to stimulate and delight history buffs, technophiles, and anyone else with a healthy intellectual curiosity.
Full Product Details
Author: James Burke
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 21.40cm
Weight: 0.274kg
ISBN: 9780743249768
ISBN 10: 0743249763
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 08 September 2003
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Smithsonian Burke has been doing for technology what Joseph Campbell once did for myth, making it a new branch of popular culture.
"""Kirkus Reviews"" Burke is in a league alone when it comes to freewheeling intellectual curiosity and mapping nature's strange designs. ""Smithsonian"" Burke has been doing for technology what Joseph Campbell once did for myth, making it a new branch of popular culture. ""The Washington Post"" One of the most intriguing minds in the Western world. Bill Gates James Burke is a favorite author of mine."
The Washington Post One of the most intriguing minds in the Western world. Kirkus Reviews Burke is in a league alone when it comes to freewheeling intellectual curiosity and mapping nature's strange designs. Smithsonian Burke has been doing for technology what Joseph Campbell once did for myth, making it a new branch of popular culture. Bill Gates James Burke is a favorite author of mine.
Author Information
James Burke is the bestselling author of CONNECTIONS, THE DAY THE UNIVERSE CHANGED and THE PINBALL EFFECT, all published by Little Brown.
