The Evolution of Useful Things
How Everyday Artifacts-from Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-came to Beas They Are.
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · February 1, 1994
How did the table fork acquire a fourth tine?
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- Who it’s for
- Ordinary objects become quietly absorbing when you ask why they look and work as they do.
- Themes
- Everyday artifact design, Technological innovation, Irritation as a driver of invention
- Genres
- Inventions, History of Technology, Product Design
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Start with this bookAbout this book
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.
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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.
Everyday Design
Ordinary objects become quietly absorbing when you ask why they look and work as they do.
Come here for
- Design stories hiding in forks, paper clips, and tape
- Irritation as an unlikely engine of invention
Expect
- Close attention to familiar artifacts and their small design choices
- A fresh way to think about technological change
Where it sits
| History of Technology | 36% |
|---|---|
| Inventions | 35% |
| Product Design | 25% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Antiques & Collectibles
- World History
- Product Design
- Authors
- Henry Petroski
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- February 1, 1994
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Everyday artifact design · Technological innovation · Irritation as a driver of invention
- Reading lane
- Antiques & Collectibles