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The Resource House of invention : the secret life of everyday products, David Lindsay

House of invention : the secret life of everyday products, David Lindsay

Creator
Summary
David Lindsay shares the most fascinating stories in the obsessive history of invention, all within the typical American home. He stops in each room to examine the most taken-for-granted objects, and finds eccentric inventors lurking within every delightfully bizarre story of invention. The bathroom, for example, is a hotbed of innovation. We meet Gillette of disposable razor fame, who had grandiose utopian plans; the inventor of Vaseline -- he actually ate a spoonful of the stuff each day; and the first woman millionaire. A visit to the kitchen takes us to the frigid North, where Clarence Birdseye was inspired, and into the odd psyches of the Kellogg brothers. In the foyer, we find the magical history of the intercom, the piratical origins of paper money, and the Houdini-like ascension of the king of locks. The office yields the origins of pencils; the roots of Muzak technology; and the debt we owe to Nikola Tesla. The garage shows us the genius of the standard screw thread, the patent-stealing of intermittent windshield wipers, and the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of the woman who invented the flat-bottomed paper bag. In the family room, we learn of the race for television's patent, about the violent inventor of the Nautilus machine, and of the pacifism that inspired solitaire. The bedroom boasts more personal inventions as we unravel the histories of the brassiere and even the condom. There is intrigue, suspense, fraud, rebellion, and more. No house should be without House of Invention, and no one interested in stories of genius and ingenuity and the extraordinary creation of ordinary objects should miss it
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xi, 179 pages
Contents
  • The disposable razor
  • Vaseline
  • Hair straightener
  • Frozen food
  • The blender
  • Breakfast cereal
  • The intercom
  • Bank notes
  • Locks and keys
  • Muzak
  • The pencil
  • The electrical outlet
  • The intermittent windshield wiper
  • The standard screw thread
  • The flat-bottomed paper bag
  • Television
  • The exercise machine
  • Solitaire
  • The brassiere
  • Shatterproof glasses
  • The condom
Isbn
9781585746255
Instance
Label
House of invention : the secret life of everyday products
Title
House of invention
Title remainder
the secret life of everyday products
Statement of responsibility
David Lindsay
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
David Lindsay shares the most fascinating stories in the obsessive history of invention, all within the typical American home. He stops in each room to examine the most taken-for-granted objects, and finds eccentric inventors lurking within every delightfully bizarre story of invention. The bathroom, for example, is a hotbed of innovation. We meet Gillette of disposable razor fame, who had grandiose utopian plans; the inventor of Vaseline -- he actually ate a spoonful of the stuff each day; and the first woman millionaire. A visit to the kitchen takes us to the frigid North, where Clarence Birdseye was inspired, and into the odd psyches of the Kellogg brothers. In the foyer, we find the magical history of the intercom, the piratical origins of paper money, and the Houdini-like ascension of the king of locks. The office yields the origins of pencils; the roots of Muzak technology; and the debt we owe to Nikola Tesla. The garage shows us the genius of the standard screw thread, the patent-stealing of intermittent windshield wipers, and the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of the woman who invented the flat-bottomed paper bag. In the family room, we learn of the race for television's patent, about the violent inventor of the Nautilus machine, and of the pacifism that inspired solitaire. The bedroom boasts more personal inventions as we unravel the histories of the brassiere and even the condom. There is intrigue, suspense, fraud, rebellion, and more. No house should be without House of Invention, and no one interested in stories of genius and ingenuity and the extraordinary creation of ordinary objects should miss it
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1957-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Lindsay, David
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
LC call number
T19
LC item number
.L56 2000
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Inventions
  • Inventors
  • Inventions
  • Inventors
Label
House of invention : the secret life of everyday products, David Lindsay
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 177-179)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
The disposable razor -- Vaseline -- Hair straightener -- Frozen food -- The blender -- Breakfast cereal -- The intercom -- Bank notes -- Locks and keys -- Muzak -- The pencil -- The electrical outlet -- The intermittent windshield wiper -- The standard screw thread -- The flat-bottomed paper bag -- Television -- The exercise machine -- Solitaire -- The brassiere -- Shatterproof glasses -- The condom
Dimensions
20 cm
Extent
xi, 179 pages
Isbn
9781585746255
Lccn
99053253
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)42753589
  • (OCoLC)ocm42753589
Label
House of invention : the secret life of everyday products, David Lindsay
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 177-179)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
The disposable razor -- Vaseline -- Hair straightener -- Frozen food -- The blender -- Breakfast cereal -- The intercom -- Bank notes -- Locks and keys -- Muzak -- The pencil -- The electrical outlet -- The intermittent windshield wiper -- The standard screw thread -- The flat-bottomed paper bag -- Television -- The exercise machine -- Solitaire -- The brassiere -- Shatterproof glasses -- The condom
Dimensions
20 cm
Extent
xi, 179 pages
Isbn
9781585746255
Lccn
99053253
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)42753589
  • (OCoLC)ocm42753589

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