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42nd out of 111 books
—
159 voters
The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are.
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...more
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...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
February 1st 1994
by Vintage
(first published 1992)
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On occasion, the reader can be caught up in an interesting process of new form through failure or necessity (for example, I had never thought to attribute the relatively short existence of McDonald's McDLT to the environmental shift away from polystyrene packaging at the time) but through most of the book the writing is too dry to truly grab. Some of the information could be fascinating, but unfortunately much of it read like assigned homework from a sell-back-immediately-at-the-end-of-semester...more
My last book of 2012.
This book is less a "hey this is how things came to be" and more "hey this why form follows function is a bunch of malarkey and form follows a lot of things--often failure."
This book was not what I thought it was. But that's not always a bad thing. In fact, I think I got a lot of bang for my buck by it not being what I thought it would be. It made me think more and analyze more. Less trivia, more thought.
How things get designed and how they come to be is sometimes lost in th...more
This book is less a "hey this is how things came to be" and more "hey this why form follows function is a bunch of malarkey and form follows a lot of things--often failure."
This book was not what I thought it was. But that's not always a bad thing. In fact, I think I got a lot of bang for my buck by it not being what I thought it would be. It made me think more and analyze more. Less trivia, more thought.
How things get designed and how they come to be is sometimes lost in th...more
This book is far more interesting than one might expect from reading the back cover. The author argues that form does not follow function and necessity is not the mother of invention. Instead, the major inspiration for invention is correcting the failure of previous inventions. Makes sense to me, although I always thought "form follows function" was more a rule for good design--as in form SHOULD follow function--rather than a truth about design. All of that theory gets a little boring and repeti...more
Apr 05, 2010
Alan
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Patient seekers after minutiae
Recommended to Alan by:
Having heard the author speak
The title and the physical design of this book echo—and intentionally, I'm sure—those chosen for paperback editions of Donald Norman's The Design of Everyday Things (née The Psychology of Everyday Things), at least in the edition I read. Norman's landmark work receives its due in the Index and Bibliography of Petroski's, and these two works do scratch very similar itches, but I'm convinced that the physical similarity of design is here neither Norman's nor Petroski's, but rather that of some mar...more
The Evolution of Useful Things is a book about design, and argues that rather than form following function, form follows failure (or more accurately, it follows from successive attempts to fix things that we don’t like about an object). Topics range from paper clips, silverware, post-it notes, aluminum cans, zippers and other common place objects.
While some of the material is quite interesting, Petroski (an engineering professor at Duke University) writes with a style that would not be describe...more
While some of the material is quite interesting, Petroski (an engineering professor at Duke University) writes with a style that would not be describe...more
There is a very long chapter in this book about the evolution of the fork, from prehistoric hand-made skewer to our friendly four-tined flatware of today, that is immensely more interesting than any treatise on eating utensils has any right being. Similar chapters on post-it notes and paperclips never quite achieved the same pinnacle of fascination (for me at least; maybe some stickynote aficionado out there would feel differently*), but were still pretty badass in their own right.
* Which is not...more
* Which is not...more
I read this book when it came out and found it fascinating> So I read it again a few years later and have kept up with the author. I think in subsequent books, Petroski has expanded on ideas he first explored more lightly in this book. I like his books because they give us a different way to look at the world around us, considering how things mankind creates were created. For me, as Christian, it also makes me think about how God had to think to create things, because design is no accident, t...more
#2 2012 -- I love to buy books related to engineering and design, but I have a hard time finishing them. This book was no exception. Petroski discusses the evolution of common office/household objects with special emphasis on forks, paper clips, and zippers. His primary thesis is that it is not true that 'form follows function' but rather that 'form follows failure' meaning that inventors (or designers) change the function of an object in response to a failure. He also touches on other factors w...more
His later text is much better edited. I'm not saying that Engineers can't write or edit, I'm just saying that the 65 pages spent on knives, spoons, and forks was--oh, dare I?--bland.
The subject matter is definitely interesting, but the author's writing style is dry and not suitably engaging. I had to force myself to continue at times to get through boring sections.
I like the material, and the first chapter held my attention alright, but a few pages into the second I realized I wasn't enjoying it anymore. Petroski can be dry at times and confusing at others, like when he cites multiple different authors (none of whom were familiar to me) and considers their theses simultaneously. He also makes "form follows function" the central point of the book (albeit to refute it, not to endorse it), but I think the phrase meant something different to him than it does...more
His basic thesis is logical -- we develop things through testing and improvement, not through some sudden brainstorm by which we realize the perfect form. The fork, for example, looks as it does because we had earlier, inferior versions of the fork that didn't do the job well. It makes sense and it probably (generally) correct, although I think the book underestimates the role of fashion and culture and tries to fit them in within this broader framework. But the text becomes repetitive, continua...more
The parts of this book where he talks about the properties and forms of everyday objects and how they developed are fascinating. Unfortunately, those parts of the book are interspersed with long sections of inside-baseball industrial design arguments (constant theme: "form follows failure, not form follows function") and weirdly grumpy personal complaints about specific products or large swaths of technology ("Push button phones! Who needs 'em!"). Coupled with the author's dry as dust delivery,...more
This is the second of Petroski's books that I have read now. I have got to say, I'm not impressed. He is a weak writer and an even weaker historian, but I suppose that is to be expected since he is an engineer, and a very noteworthy one at that. I suppose that I am particularly disappointed because the subject matter of Petroski's books are so very appealing. I love the idea of creating a history of the forgotten or ignored things of everyday life. Bravo to him for actually attempting to do this...more
Given that the men in my family have been machinists and engineers for at least 200 years, it's no surprise I love this book.
It is *not* an academic work. The writing style is casual and engaging - certainly not dry or dull - which is key to making it accessible and interesting to a wide audience.
The book does, however, have a thesis. The author argues throughout that the history of invention is driven by the desire either to improve existing objects or to provide better solutions than existing...more
It is *not* an academic work. The writing style is casual and engaging - certainly not dry or dull - which is key to making it accessible and interesting to a wide audience.
The book does, however, have a thesis. The author argues throughout that the history of invention is driven by the desire either to improve existing objects or to provide better solutions than existing...more
Fascinating book on the concepts behind industrial design, as well as sections on the design evolution of specific inventions. His main assertion as far as design goes is that things evolve because of their failures. Inventors or designers see a failure in an existing device/tool/etc and come up with a new one to correct that failure. In depth history of silverware, paper clips, zippers, can openers, and others. Detailed list of sources, though a bit dated (1992 publication date).
Petroski refutes the idea that form follows function, instead showing how form actually follows the failures (real or perceived) of previous technology. Although he is sometimes repetitive in making his point, his case studies of paperclips, forks, zippers, etc. are fascinating. Petroski writes with dry humor and a sly turn of phrase that made me smile frequently while reading this otherwise fairly scholarly work.
I also learned that Dayton is famous for something other than the Wright brothers a...more
I also learned that Dayton is famous for something other than the Wright brothers a...more
In this book-length essay, Petroski, a professor of engineering and history at Duke University, states his case that the maxim "form follows function" is inherently false. He opens his argument with the observation that if form, indeed, followed function, there would be no difference in utensils between East and West. Only one solution would have formed to transport food to mouth. The fact that both chopsticks and knives and fork have equally evolved to solve this problem proves, to Petroski, th...more
I really wish I could say that I have read a more boring book about technology, design, and evolution of technical "things", but I have not. Yes there are MANY books on the market on these and related topics, and it is obvious that the author not only knows the topic, but also the literature on this, but still to dwell as he does on what appears tro be mundane and non-relevant aspects of technical design...
I would have expected this book to contain exciting and unexpected anecdotes regarding stuff we never give a second thought about.
Instead I found it to be just a long essay whose bottom line (as far as I could read - I stopped in the middle of the third chapter) seems to be mundane stuff's history is, well, mundane... Why a fork has four tines? Because two was not enough, and six are too much (zzzzz...)
Instead I found it to be just a long essay whose bottom line (as far as I could read - I stopped in the middle of the third chapter) seems to be mundane stuff's history is, well, mundane... Why a fork has four tines? Because two was not enough, and six are too much (zzzzz...)
I really wanted this book to be better than it was. Petroski delved into a couple of ideas that I found interesting: Necessity is not the mother of invention, want is (is an iPod really a need?), and that inventions don't spring fully formed from the minds of their inventors but evolve through a process of adapting imperfect solutions to common problems. But beyond this, I found the book a little dry and difficult to read. Perhaps one book dedicated to a single invention might be more interestin...more
I found this book most interesting in the parts where the author used concrete examples of the evolution of objects to illustrate his points about invention/design. It was interesting to read about and see images of how things like forks, paper clips and zippers changed over time (and that's the kind of thing I was looking for when I picked up this book).
The parts I found less interesting were the extended theoretical parts about the evolution of objects. I absolutely agree with the author's pr...more
The parts I found less interesting were the extended theoretical parts about the evolution of objects. I absolutely agree with the author's pr...more
Petroski asserts that form does not follow function, but instead follows the failure of objects to work the way we think they should. This book is at its best when detailing the evolution of everyday objects and profiling the men and women who designed them, and at its worst when Petroski gets weirdly curmudgeonly about certain design faults (forks? plastic garbage bags?) and becomes a bit repetitive about his thesis. Worth reading if you are interested in engineering, design, or ever wondered w...more
This book talks about such everyday items as forks and paper clips. It discusses their history and the evolution of their function to their present form.The premise of this book is promising, but the write is obviously an academic and uses long words like "artifactual". I just skimmed it.
A very informative and thoughtful book about how everyday things - cutlery, paperclip, hand tools - evolved and improved over time. The book was occasionally slow, but overall I enjoyed it. It would be a particularly good read for inventors and industrial desingers.
Aug 03, 2011
Bill
added it
If Isaac Asimov had been more inclined to aesthetics, he might have beaten Petroski to this and the other kinds of books Petroski has written. I mean this a compliment, for books like these do need to be written and Petroski has done a great job here.
Read this book as part of some research tool into the evolution of the fork. The author has a unique view of the concept of the relationship between Form and Function. This taps into the same bit of my brain that The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker did.
Fascinating snippets of the evolution of useful things (see especially the development of the Big Mac wrapper as well as the soft drink can). For the most part, however, the narrative can sometimes drag a bit too slowly.
Jul 08, 2012
Howard
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
social science nerds
Recommended to Howard by:
my wife
Loved it in the end...but it was like slogging hip deep in oatmeal to get through the first third. I'm a nerd for social sciences so I stuck it out. It was worth it. But be prepared with hip boots.
If you ever wonder about those little things we use everyday and wonder how did they come about this is a cool read. Maybe you don't ponder such things perhaps you will after you read this.
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Henry Petroski is a civil engineering professor at Duke University where he specializes in failure analysis.
Petroski was born in Brooklyn, New York, and in 1963, he received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College. He graduated with his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1968. Before beginning his work at Duke in 1980, he worked a...more
More about Henry Petroski...
Petroski was born in Brooklyn, New York, and in 1963, he received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College. He graduated with his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1968. Before beginning his work at Duke in 1980, he worked a...more
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Jul 02, 2010 09:49am