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72nd out of 111 books
—
162 voters
Really Useful: The Origins of Everyday Things
by
Joel Levy
You undoubtedly know what a paperclip is and how to use it, but did you know that during the Second World War the people of Norway adopted paperclips as a symbol of protest against the occupying Nazis? Really Useful tells these and other stories of how the things we use every day came into being.
As much a sociological history as a compendium of entertaining stories, Really...more
As much a sociological history as a compendium of entertaining stories, Really...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
October 5th 2002
by Firefly Books
(first published 1999)
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I really loved this book. I love to know how every day items came to be. Also this book doesn't list items alphabetical like most books of this nature. Items are explained in categories like Kitchen, Bedroom, etc.
A somewhat interesting book. The ancient peoples were certainly ahead of their time.
Pretty good histories of random everyday things. Good trivia!
A book a friend had and I thought looked interesting, took it on a trip to read while riding in the vehicle
This book gives you a unique veiw of common things all over the world. It is very refreshing.
Jun 10, 2013
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Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. PHOBIAPEDIA is his first book for children.
More about Joel Levy...
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