Overview

It's a contraption that makes the lists of ""Greatest Inventions Ever""; at the same time, it's accused of causing global disaster. It has changed everything from architecture to people's food habits to their voting patterns, to even the way big business washes its windows. It has saved countless lives . . . while causing countless deaths. Most of us are glad it's there. But we don't know how, or when, it got there. It's air conditioning. For thousands of years, humankind attempted to do something about the slow torture of hot weather. Everything was tried: water power, slave power, electric power, ice made from steam engines and cold air made from deadly chemicals, ""zephyrifers,"" refrigerated beds, ventilation amateurs and professional air-sniffers. It wasn't until 1902 when an engineer barely out of college developed the ""Apparatus for Treating Air""-a machine that could actually cool the indoors-and everyone assumed it would instantly change the world. That wasn't the case. There was a time when people ""ignored"" hot weather while reading each day's list of heat-related deaths, women wore furs in the summertime, heatstroke victims were treated with bloodletting . . . and the notion of a machine to cool the air was considered preposterous, even sinful. The story of air conditioning is actually two stories: the struggle to perfect a cooling device, and the effort to convince people that they actually needed such a thing. With a cast of characters ranging from Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Nixon to Felix the Cat, Cool showcases the myriad reactions to air conditioning- some of them dramatic, many others comical and wonderfully inconsistent-as it was developed and presented to the world. Here is a unique perspective on air conditioning's fascinating history: how we rely so completely on it today, and how it might change radically tomorrow.

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Reviews

GCGBPBasileGCOs conversational style and knack for turning a phrase make Cool a brisk and delightful read.GC[yen] GCoChristopher Dietrich, Fordham University Sal Basile's conversational style and knack for turning a phrase make Cool a brisk and delightful read. --Christopher Dietrich, Fordham University Cool offers a fascinating glimpse into what life was like before the advent of air conditioning and how its acceptance changed society. Well researched and with fascinating stories on every page, Cool is a fast-paced chronicle of one of history's behind-the-scenes stories that many of us take for granted: how air conditioning changed the way we live. --Chuck Campbell, President/CEO, Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. A look at our love affair with air-conditioning... breezily anecdotal. --New York Times Some surprising things you probably don't know about air conditioning. --Los Angeles Times COOL tells the surprisingly suspenseful story of the development and gradual adoption of air conditioning in the United States. The puckish Basile is more than up to the task, and his copious research pays off: Not only is COOL an informative read, each chapter is strewn with more anecdotes than there are sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Some are hilarious; others, jaw-dropping. Best of all, each chapter leaves you wanting more. --American Scientist The all-encompassing guidebook to the history of air conditioning, chronicling the numerous gimmicks, failed attempts, con jobs, and eventual successes ... a surprisingly interesting journey. --San Francisco Book Review ...[Basile] demonstrates in his new book Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything that the story of how humankind gradually attempted to overcome the slow torture of hot weather is actually a quite fascinating one. --James Richmond, Richmond Air Author Salvatore Basile has captured the history of the long, and generally unsuccessful, battle against the hear in his new book, Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything.' --Bruno Air Conditioning Snarky... entertaining. --Weekly Standard Charming ... Much fun ... short, sharp micro-history. --New Scientist Fascinating ... examines the technology and its penetration into American life. --First Things A joy... I wish you coolth! --KCRW-FM

Charming ... Much fun ... short, sharp micro-history. * -New Scientist * The all-encompassing guidebook to the history of air conditioning, chronicling the numerous gimmicks, failed attempts, con jobs, and eventual successes ... a surprisingly interesting journey. * -San Francisco Book Review * A joy ... I wish you coolth! * -KCRW-FM * Fascinating ... examines the technology and its penetration into American life. * -First Things * Snarky ... entertaining. * -Weekly Standard * Some surprising things you probably don't know about air conditioning. * -Los Angeles Times * COOL tells the surprisingly suspenseful story of the development and gradual adoption of air conditioning in the United States. The puckish Basile is more than up to the task, and his copious research pays off: Not only is COOL an informative read, each chapter is strewn with more anecdotes than there are sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Some are hilarious; others, jaw-dropping. Best of all, each chapter leaves you wanting more. * -American Scientist * Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything provides history readers and social science students alike with a review of how air conditioning evolved and changed life in America, and is recommended not just for college collections but for any seeking a pairing of history and lively social insights. * -Midwest Book Review * A look at our love affair with air-conditioning ... breezily anecdotal. * -The New York Times * . . . A lively and endlessly informative tale about how air conditioning happened scientifically and what it has done for and to us. * -The Common Reader *

Sal Basile's conversational style and knack for turning a phrase make Cool a brisk and delightful read. --Christopher Dietrich, Fordham University Cool offers a fascinating glimpse into what life was like before the advent of air conditioning and how its acceptance changed society. Well researched and with fascinating stories on every page, Cool is a fast-paced chronicle of one of history's behind-the-scenes stories that many of us take for granted: how air conditioning changed the way we live. --Chuck Campbell, President/CEO, Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. A look at our love affair with air-conditioning. . . breezily anecdotal. --New York Times Some surprising things you probably don't know about air conditioning. --Los Angeles Times COOL tells the surprisingly suspenseful story of the development and gradual adoption of air conditioning in the United States. The puckish Basile is more than up to the task, and his copious research pays off: Not only is COOL an informative read, each chapter is strewn with more anecdotes than there are sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Some are hilarious; others, jaw-dropping. Best of all, each chapter leaves you wanting more. --American Scientist The all-encompassing guidebook to the history of air conditioning, chronicling the numerous gimmicks, failed attempts, con jobs, and eventual successes . . . a surprisingly interesting journey. --San Francisco Book Review . . .[Basile] demonstrates in his new book Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything that the story of how humankind gradually attempted to overcome the slow torture of hot weather is actually a quite fascinating one. --James Richmond, Richmond Air Author Salvatore Basile has captured the history of the long, and generally unsuccessful, battle against the hear in his new book, Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything.' --Bruno Air Conditioning Snarky. . . entertaining. --Weekly Standard Charming . . . Much fun . . . short, sharp micro-history. --New Scientist Fascinating . . . examines the technology and its penetration into American life. --First Things A joy. . . I wish you coolth! --KCRW-FM

Author Information

SALVATORE BASILE was educated at the Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School and began his career as a professional musician. After penning various music-related articles, he entered the field of social commentary with his history Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Fordham).

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