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3rd out of 95 books
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The Book on the Bookshelf
From the author of the highly praised The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things comes another captivating history of the seemingly mundane: the book and its storage.
Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn't. As a result, readers are guided along the aston...more
Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn't. As a result, readers are guided along the aston...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
December 1st 2010
by Vintage
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In The “Book on the Bookshelf”, Petroski does what he has once done for the pencil, and focuses on the lifetime of one designed object – here the book shelf – to illustrate how learning, print, information sharing, information security policy, and library science have evolved. The book runs from the time before there were books, when scrolls were the way we captured our culture and made it available for others to read in the present and the future. It ends in the 1999 – the year the Petroski boo...more
I'd like to give this half a star less, but that is unfortunately not possible, so in the spirit of being generous, I'll give it three stars.
This book could easily have been shortened by 15-20% had the editor been a bit more liberal with his red pen in eliminating some of the more boring personal anecdotes along with the many paragraphs of repetitious overkill. For example, I am genuinely amazed by the sheer number of references and stories the author uses (ad nauseum) to demonstrate t...more
This book could easily have been shortened by 15-20% had the editor been a bit more liberal with his red pen in eliminating some of the more boring personal anecdotes along with the many paragraphs of repetitious overkill. For example, I am genuinely amazed by the sheer number of references and stories the author uses (ad nauseum) to demonstrate t...more
I actually learned a lot about shelving, esp. about the desk area, filling up to the top, and THEN filling the shelves under the desk. Interesting. Which makes me think I've found my calling.
p.4: "Indeed, the presence of bookshelves greatly influences our behavior."
p.22: "Is an empty bookshelf an oxymoron?"
p.24: "It is extraordinary that so simple a device as the separation of words should never have become general until after the invention of printing...more
p.4: "Indeed, the presence of bookshelves greatly influences our behavior."
p.22: "Is an empty bookshelf an oxymoron?"
p.24: "It is extraordinary that so simple a device as the separation of words should never have become general until after the invention of printing...more
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If you appreciate incredibly detailed accounts of how items, such as modern books and bookshelves came to be, Henry Petroski's your author!
This fascinating (although at times painfully slow) book explains the changes of reading material into bound books as we know them as well as how the shelves they are stored on in libraries evolved over time and use. After reading this book, I haven't looked at a library in the same old (for granted) way.
In the last section of the boo...more
This fascinating (although at times painfully slow) book explains the changes of reading material into bound books as we know them as well as how the shelves they are stored on in libraries evolved over time and use. After reading this book, I haven't looked at a library in the same old (for granted) way.
In the last section of the boo...more
If there's one thing I'm taking away from Henry Petroski's The Book on the Bookshelf, it's the fact that no technology is so basic as to be self-evident. I always thought of the humble bookshelf as a foregone conclusion: faced with a bunch of narrow rectangular solids, it only makes sense to place them vertically, front-to-back along a horizontal surface, with some kind of identifying label along their edges, yes? Petroski's book, a history of the development of book storage technology in the ...more
It was clear throughout this attempted "history of the bookshelf" that Petroski was probably more interested in the history of book display than he was in shelves themselves. However, in focusing specifically on shelves, he limited the extent to which he could discuss other relevant sorts of display (books on coffee tables, books in stores, etc.) that may have provided interesting contrasts to some of the information he gave. Likewise, I wanted more information about the symbolic conno...more
[via @trauman] The first half of this book focuses on the co-evolution of the physical/material form of the book (from tablet to scroll to codex) and the way Western culture has fostered access to this form. They evolve in tandem. Really informative. Very clearly written. Should be great resource for my dissertation: shows how objects must evolve in conversation/tandem with their cultural/material contexts. Really expands the notion of what sorts of things might be considered "book technolo...more
Interesting, but somewhat repetitious history of how books and the means of shelving them evolved over the centuries. Petroski is an engineer who has written other studies of everyday objects (his history of the pencil is particularly well known). As an engineer, he tends to dwell upon the structural dynamics but, mercifully, not on the mathematics.[return][return]There is a touch of whimsey here and there that borders on the precious, but overall this is an interesting and handsome book for t...more
Steve
added it
Petroski has one of the most intriguing minds to encounter it's ever been my pleasure to read. He's an engineer who writes as a philosopher of science, and very well. The idea of writing a book just on the relationship between books and how we have stored them over history is itself an indication of his polymath-ism. Add a dose of wry humor and some interesting characters (Melville (I insist on the old spelling -- read to find out more) Dewey stands out) and it's a good read. The 35-page app...more
This non-fiction book is a treat for bibliophiles but could prove a bit of a bore for the average reader. In The Book on the Bookshelf, author Henry Petroski takes an in depth look at the development of books and the humble bookshelf over the centuries including: scrolls and codices, illuminated texts and the modern paperback.
I enjoyed tracing the history of book storage across history, and particularly enjoyed learning more about the practice of chaining precious books to desks in l...more
I enjoyed tracing the history of book storage across history, and particularly enjoyed learning more about the practice of chaining precious books to desks in l...more
I really enjoyed this book. One of the most enjoyable I've read all year. The beginning is better than the end probably because the development of book storage into what we would be familiar with is more interesting than the relatively minor changes he deals with towards the end. Fact of the book for me? It is only recently that books have been stored with their spines facing outwards, which just sounds insane to me but makes perfect sense when you know the history.
I probably would have g...more
I probably would have g...more
A bit dry in parts, but other parts were pretty fascinating...so it evens out into a 3 out of 5 stars. Some of my favorite quotes below:
"The accumulation of books on shelves appears to be inevitable, and the search for ever more places to store books appears to be without limit. The house or apartment with too many books seems always to acquire even more." ~pg. 223
"When I travel, I find myself drawn into bookstores and to books I wonder if I will ever see a...more
"The accumulation of books on shelves appears to be inevitable, and the search for ever more places to store books appears to be without limit. The house or apartment with too many books seems always to acquire even more." ~pg. 223
"When I travel, I find myself drawn into bookstores and to books I wonder if I will ever see a...more
I picked up this book because, surprise, I like books. So much so, in fact that I thought it would be interesting to discover more about how books have evolved over the years or have come to look the way they do today. The title drew me in, "the book on the bookshelf", since it seemed to be a rather literary way to introduce the topic of books- as if they were a people of a particular nation like "the people of Ireland". Wrong. Unfortunately it is exactly what it says i...more
This book started out strong, a much better read than Matthew Battles' Library: An Unquiet History (which I found deeply disappointing). In fact, in some ways, this, too, is a history of libraries, or more properly, library facilities, told from the point of view of the book and the bookshelf. My favorite bits were the deep analysis of old engravings and illustrations to reveal people's shelving practices.
Unfortunately, the book is organized sort of strangely. The chapters are o...more
Unfortunately, the book is organized sort of strangely. The chapters are o...more
Hmm...normally I love reading about the history of books and libraries but this book was a too dry for my taste. While it was mildly interesting to read about the early mechanisms invented for compact shelving, I got the impression the author was more impressed with the engineering involved with than the designs of bookshelves with the books themselves or librarians. Mind you, I didn't finish reading this book so maybe the author addresses those two in later chapters. However, there is only s...more
Petroski fascinates me. How can one man spend so much energy and concentration on so many singular topics.
This book focuses on the history of the bookshelf and bookcase. Who knew that for years all books were designed to lay flat on their backs and not standing up? Eventually someone said "hey there's a more effecient way..."
Petroski's research is amazing. This book contains tons of etches, sketches, patents, etc. of all kinds of things bookshelf related.
Though at times I found myself ...more
This book focuses on the history of the bookshelf and bookcase. Who knew that for years all books were designed to lay flat on their backs and not standing up? Eventually someone said "hey there's a more effecient way..."
Petroski's research is amazing. This book contains tons of etches, sketches, patents, etc. of all kinds of things bookshelf related.
Though at times I found myself ...more
Petroski's training as an engineer makes him a good guide to the structural advances of book storage devices over the past two millennia. As a book lover and avid reader, I was surprised to learn about chained books and the idea that people had to learn how to store books, a fact that seems self-evident to us today. This is a history of reading unlike so many others in that it focuses (as the title suggests) on books at rest, not books in use. This approach at first seems novel, but soon it beco...more
Really a fascinating book. I read it in little bits and snippets. It's one of those books that makes you say "I never thought of that. Jeez!" It was especially fun to find the pictures of etchings of St Jerome. When we were in Munich in 2000, mr czuk picked up a copy of of them. It hangs on our wall now and is the illustration for this journal entry.
Tiffany
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
bibliophiles!
Shelves:
geekature,
booksaboutbooks
From the introduction to the Bibliography:
"This book began with a question: From where did the bookshelf and bookcase come? The question soon turned into a hypothesis: The bookcase evolved, as I believe all artifacts do, in response to real and perceived problems with existing technology. In the case of the bookshelf, this meant shortcomings in the way in which books were stored."
The book touches on the question of art vs. function of bookshelves, the evolution of boo...more
"This book began with a question: From where did the bookshelf and bookcase come? The question soon turned into a hypothesis: The bookcase evolved, as I believe all artifacts do, in response to real and perceived problems with existing technology. In the case of the bookshelf, this meant shortcomings in the way in which books were stored."
The book touches on the question of art vs. function of bookshelves, the evolution of boo...more
If you love books, this is a great one for you. It's what I call a "total history" where although the topic is bookshelves, you are led through a much larger history and context... Also, the appendix is definitely the best part -- a list of all the ways one could possible organize their books on a bookshelf!
It was interesting to learn how books were shelved. Seriously. Petroski made it interesting. I learned a lot about books, bookshelves, libraries, windows and shelving systems. I read a chapter a day, which probably helped maintain my interest. I love books, but yes, there is a limit on how much a bibliophile can take on medieval book arranging.
The appendix is as interesting as the books - I never heard of so many ways to organize one books. There were the logical ones - by author...more
The appendix is as interesting as the books - I never heard of so many ways to organize one books. There were the logical ones - by author...more
A surprisingly well-written, interesting history of book storage with a concentration on bookshelves. Petroski combines historical details, illustrations, and personal anecdotes in a manner to delight bibliophiles.
The first half of this book was really really interesting, but then it got very tedious and not as fun to read and I actually never finished it because it was just too boring.
Being a bibliophile I love to read books about books. This was interesting explaining the history of of books and why books sit the way they do on the shelf.
Henry Petroski is one of the best at making us marvel at the simple things we take for granted...books, pencils, other useful things.
A fantastic read!
A fantastic read!
Blog Recommendation; Post Date: 30-MAR-2010
David Melbie
rated it
Recommends it for:
You have to be book crazy!
Recommended to David by:
I'm crazy
Only a lover of books as crazy about books like I am would read a book about books. Hey, I am crazy about books! This is a good book. . .
This is not a bad topic, but I find the interiors of books far more interesting than their exteriors.
The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski (2000)
A popular history of the phyiscal forms and storage mediums of the book through history. A bit dry, and often the author seems a bit too pleased with his own attempts at wit, but at the same time still a good, brief introduction to the varieties of construction and use of an object that seems otherwise immutable.
In other words, a book that demonstrates that the book in its current form is actually a long-engineered technological achievement, with particular strengths and advantages t...more
In other words, a book that demonstrates that the book in its current form is actually a long-engineered technological achievement, with particular strengths and advantages t...more
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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,...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,...more
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