Only Henry Petroski, author of The Pencil, could make one never pick up a paper clip again without being overcome
with feelings of awe and reverence. In his new book the author examines a host of techno-trivia questions - how
the fork got its tines, why Scotch tape is called that, how the paper clip evolved, how the Post-it note came to
be, how the zipper was named, why aluminum cans have hollow bottoms - and provides us with answers that both astonish
and challenge the imagination. In addition to an extended discussion of knives, forks, spoons, and other common
devices, the author explains how the interplay of social and technical factors affects the development and use
of such things as plastic bags, fast-food packaging, push-button telephones, and other modern conveniences. Throughout
the book familiar objects serve to illustrate the general principles behind the evolution of all products of invention
and engineering. Petroski shows, by way of these examples as well as a probing look at the patent process, that
the single most important driving force behind technological change is the failure of existing devices to live
up to their promise. As shortcomings become evident and articulated, new and "improved" versions of artifacts
come into being through long and involved processes variously known as research and development, invention, and
engineering. He further demonstrates how the evolving forms of technology generally are altered by our very use
of them, and how they, in turn, alter our social and cultural behavior. In this wonderful mixture of history, biography,
and design theory, Henry Petroski brings us to an understanding of an essential question: By what mechanism do
the shapes and forms of our made world come to be?
Table of Contents
1. How the Fork Got Its Tines
2. Form Follows Failure
3. Inventors as Critics
4. From Pins to Paper Clips
5. Little Things Can Mean a Lot
6. Stick Before Zip
7. Tools Make Tools
8. Patterns of Proliferation
9. Domestic Fashion and Industrial Design
10. The Power of Precedent
11. Closure Before Opening
12. Big Bucks from Small Change
13. When Good Is Better Than Best
14. Always Room for Improvement
Notes
Bibliography
List of Illustrations
Index
