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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 620.0042
EAN: 9780674463677
ISBN: 0674463676
Label: Harvard University Press
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: November 01, 1996
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Studio: Harvard University Press

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:


Henry Petroski's previous bestsellers have delighted readers with intriguing stories about the engineering marvels around us, from the lowly pencil to the soaring suspension bridge. In this book, Petroski delves deeper into the mystery of invention, to explore what everyday artifacts and sophisticated networks can reveal about the way engineers solve problems.



Engineering entails more than knowing the way things work. What do economics and ecology, aesthetics and ethics, have to do with the shape of a paper clip, the tab of a beverage can, the cabin design of a turbojet, or the course of a river? How do the idiosyncrasies of individual engineers, companies, and communities leave their mark on projects from Velcro® to fax machines to waterworks?Invention by Design offers an insider's look at these political and cultural dimensions of design and development, production and construction.

Readers unfamiliar with engineering will find Petroski's enthusiasm contagious, whether the topic is the genesis of the Ziploc baggie or the averted collapse of Manhattan's sleekest skyscraper. And those who inhabit the world of engineering will discover insights to challenge their customary perspective, whether their work involves failure analysis, systems design, or public relations. Written with the flair that readers have come to expect from his books, Invention by Design reaffirms Petroski as the master explicator of the principles and processes that turn thoughts into the many things that define our made world.






Rating: - Very Detailed and Interesting
This book was very thought provoking and showed me the immense amount of time and revision it takes to create a simple, everyday product. It helped me realize how small and mostly overlooked items, are complex and wonderfully designed.
A paper clip, for example, is only a small piece of wire, cut to the right length, and bent into the appropriate shape. Yet it took years of progress and revision to create the most cost effective and visually appealing product. The first metal paper clips ... Read More

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Rating: - Well Worth Reading
The author of this book starts out by saying, "As simple as familiar objects may seem at first glance, their conception, development, manufacturing and marketing may pose great difficulties". He goes on to prove that this is true by citing the histories of some very familiar items.

His first example is the ordinary paper clip. Literally hundreds of improvement patents have been issued, yet it is still not "perfected". The most common clip was given its present form by a company called ... Read More

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Rating: - Very Interesting, but a bit slow and drawn out.
Invention by design is a complex book written about simple everyday things we use. Things like paper clips, aluminum cans, mechanical pencils, zippers, airplanes, bridges, and more. The Author, Henry Petroski did a very good job on writing about all of these objects. The book goes on to explain the nature of the design, engineering, and concepts put behind the objects.

Pros: Very Interesting
Good information
Very Descriptive
Ideas and concepts never thought ... Read More

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Rating: - A very enjoyable and great teaching book!
Want to know the facts behind the everyday things we use? Invention by Design, by Henry Petroski, is a very interesting book. It explains how items used by people daily were thought of and created. This book explains how familiar items such as paper clips, aluminum cans, zippers, mechanical pencils, bridges, buildings, and more were constructed. Invention by Design also describes how certain inventions and constructions were improved though the years by different inventors and engineers.
I thought ... Read More

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