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 Useful takes you on a tour from the kitchen to the bathroom to the office and beyond. Along the way it tells us about the technology, design, social conditions and even intrigue that contributed to these remarkable innovations, which

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Microhistory, History, Reference, Trivia

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Randal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated, clearly written book about the dullest crap imaginable.
The outline of most of the articles is "It used to be hard to do X. Somebody had this idea to make it easier / better to do X. Somebody else refined the idea and patented it. Now everybody uses this invention to do X, tra-la." There's not a lot of depth, which would have improved the book tremendously. An occasional 10-page essay on the more oddball histories would have broken up the sameness. As it stands, the range is from A the better part of the way to B.
Two of the stars are for the art direction, which is brilliant. They found the best, most striking photos of boring household items and cropped them to look genius. But sadly, it's all sizzle, folks.

[CoCoBug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read on the basic origins of some common household products. It's information you can find anywhere, but the purpose of this book seems to be more as a fun and informative FYI on some useful items we all have around our homes.

The book is broken out into two sections - inside world and outside world, with the latter being quite a larger section than the former. Some of my favorites were the dishwasher, paper milk cartons (Tetra Paks), sliced bread, toilets and toilet paper, lipstick, feminine hygiene products, bras, buttons, condoms, kites, frisbees, and fireworks.

[Newport Librarians · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book appropriate for teens and up (but really an adult non-fiction title), this has mostly 1-2 page summaries about the basic items we find "inside" and "outside" every day (that is how the book is split up). Some of my favorite items covered include the dishwasher, toilets and toilet paper, lipstick, feminine hygiene products, buttons, kites, frisbees, and fireworks.

[Tawney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a side table book (the text to illustration ration isn't right for coffee table.) The sort of book to pick up and read one or two entries at a time. Each history of an everyday object seems to have at least one really interesting tidbit and the book is very good looking.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives you a unique veiw of common things all over the world. It is very refreshing.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good histories of random everyday things. Good trivia!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book a friend had and I thought looked interesting, took it on a trip to read while riding in the vehicle

[Ilana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a naturally inquisitive person, I really enjoyed reading this.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat interesting book. The ancient peoples were certainly ahead of their time.