Henry Petroski

Aleksandar S Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of History Henry Petroski

Combines history, biography, design theory, and technology in an analysis of the development of safety pins, scotch tape, tin cans, and other useful objects

The Evolution of Useful Things

A look at the origin of everyday household items examines the Phillips-head screwdriver, paper clips, Post-its, fast-food "clamshell" containers, and other items. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

Lara Engle

The author's central argument is that failure breeds improvement rather than form following function. This seems like quite a narrow distinction to me, but perhaps that is an odd complaint from someone reading a book that details the development of the fourth tine on a fork and analyzes the comparative benefits of different rope-tying methods on now-antique bedsteads. The information in the book is interesting, however, and I have gained many more points of minutiae with which to astound my high school students.

The Evolution of Useful Things

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