Like The Pencil, Henry Petroski’s The Toothpick is a celebration of a humble yet elegant device. As old as mankind and as unive...
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Jul 28, 2008
Noel
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Apr 07, 2010
Rachel
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Books that explore a particular common object within its cultural, historical, and technological context are popular right now. It's quite interesting when done properly. Unfortunately, this book was both exhaustive and exhausting. I would have liked it better at half the size, I think.
Apr 06, 2009
What are the chances that my library will actually have a book that is exclusively about toothpicks? Also, what are the odds that you could have a friend who is nerdy enough to be interested in a book exclusively about toothpicks?
Sep 06, 2008
Dave
rated it: 
An exhaustive (and frankly, exhausting) look at the toothpick throughout history. Petroski is skilled at looking at common objects with an engineer's eyes. He is able to discuss the technology that helps make an object common in the first place (consistent, affordable reproduction) and the cultural impetus which makes a society value the effort to invest in that technology. When that happens an object becomes, almost paradoxically, common and iconic at the same time.
Just too much to More...
Just too much to More...
Aug 14, 2011
Yes, someone wrote a social history of the tooth-pick, and it is more interesting than you thought--the industry that grew up around making them commercially in New England, the patents, the marketing opportunities in distributing them as freebies with paper packaging, etiquette questions, choking hazards....
Jul 20, 2008
Coral
rated it:
It wasn't bad ... It was just much, much more in-depth than I needed it to be. I was looking for something with more of a How It's Made bent than a full-blown history book.
Mar 15, 2008
Jaime
rated it:
This book wasn't bad. Considering it's subject matter, I actually breezed through it, learning a lot about toothpicks, patents, and business practices in the past. I really want to try a Brazilian rosewood hand-carved toothpick now!
Jul 14, 2008
Dave
rated it:
A little disappointing. I loved his "The Pencil" and most of the rest of his work. According my wife they're all part of my "Boring Book of the Month" club but this one got really dry, even for me.
Dec 01, 2007
Dr. Petroski has written a number of books on the design of everyday objects. I'm particularly interested in this because Maine was the toothpick capital of the world at one time!
Nov 12, 2008
Steve
rated it: 
How could you resist learning everything there is to know (in appropriately minute detail) about the genesis and bright future of the toothpick?
Dec 29, 2009
Alan
rated it:
Lots of interesting points made in a disconnected and uninteresting manner.
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