Book Review
The same country that gave us James Dyson and his eponymous vacuums brings us Inventors and Inventions, a gorgeous and gracious homage to innovators throughout the ages.
Black Dog Publishing spared no expense in crafting this hefty coffee table book, weighing in at 235 stunning pages. The photography is in league with National Geographic.
Spanning early inventions – including time, the numbering system, the alphabet and, yes, the wheel – the book takes loving turns through household products, entertainment, communication, engineering and transport, medicine, warfare, exploration and agriculture and food innovations.
While the array of inventions is impressive, just as striking is the attention to organization and presentation of the material. The communications section, for instance, begins with the pencil and transitions to the pencil sharpener, the eraser, the quill, fountain and ball point pens and concludes with phones, GPS and radar.
Each invention and inventor receives honorable and equal treatment. The humble umbrella is as celebrated as night vision technology or the Slinky.
Packed with interesting information and arresting photography, Inventors and Inventions is a beautiful book worthy of a place in your collection.
Editor: Paul Sloman; Contributor: Richard Fisher
Editor’s note: This article appears in the August 2010 print edition.
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