The Toothpick: Technology and Culture - Henry Petroski - HCDJ - Good

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ApproximatelyRM 25.18
Condition:
Good
“Some wrinkling of the dust jacket at the base of the spine; there also appears to be some irregular ”... Read moreabout condition
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eBay item number:297711576898

Item specifics

Condition
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Seller Notes
“Some wrinkling of the dust jacket at the base of the spine; there also appears to be some irregular ...
Brand
Unbranded
MPN
Does not apply
ISBN
9780307266361
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0307266362
ISBN-13
9780307266361
eBay Product ID (ePID)
59105779

Product Key Features

Book Title
Toothpick : Technology and Culture
Number of Pages
464 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2007
Topic
Inventions, Industrial Design / General, General, Oral Health
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Technology & Engineering, Health & Fitness, History
Author
Henry Petroski
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.5 in
Item Weight
25 oz
Item Length
9.5 in
Item Width
5.8 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2007-005712
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
22
Reviews
"Offers rare insights into principles of engineering and design." -The Washington Post Book World "Delightful . . . Mr. Petroski combines historical narrative with technical expertise to compelling affect." -New York Sun "I'll never look at a toothpick in the same way." -Jeri Krentz,The Charlotte Observer "Petroski writes . . . with the observant eye of an engineer and the imaginative heart of a novelist." -Los Angeles Times From the Trade Paperback edition.
Dewey Decimal
674/.88
Synopsis
Like The Pencil, Petroskis The Toothpick is a celebration of a humble yet elegant device. As old as mankind and as universal as eating, this useful and ubiquitous tool finally gets its due in this wide-ranging and compulsively readable book., Like "The Pencil," Henry Petroski's "The Toothpick" is a celebration of a humble yet elegant device. As old as mankind and as universal as eating, this useful and ubiquitous tool finally gets its due in this wide-ranging and compulsively readable book. Here is the unexpected story of the simplest of implements--whether made of grass, gold, quill, or wood--a story of engineering and design, of culture and class, and a lesson in how to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary. Petroski takes us back to ancient Rome, where the emperor Nero makes his entrance into a banquet hall with a silver toothpick in his mouth; and to a more recent time in Spain, where a young senorita uses the delicately pointed instrument to protect her virtue from someone trying to steal a kiss. He introduces us to Charles Forster, a nineteenth-century Bostonian and father of the American toothpick industry, who hires Harvard students to demand toothpicks in area restaurants--thereby making their availability in eating establishments as expected as condiments. And Petroski takes us inside the surprisingly secretive toothpick-manufacturing industry, in which one small town's factories can turn out 200 million wooden toothpicks a day using methods that, except for computer controls, haven't changed much in almost 150 years. He also explores a treasure trove of the toothpick's unintended uses and perils, from sandwiches to martinis and beyond. With an engineer's eye for detail and a poet's flair for language, Petroski has earned his reputation as a writer who explains our world--from the tallest buildings to the lowliest toothpick--to us., Like "The Pencil," Petroskis "The Toothpick" is a celebration of a humble yet elegant device. As old as mankind and as universal as eating, this useful and ubiquitous tool finally gets its due in this wide-ranging and compulsively readable book.
LC Classification Number
GT2952.P48 2007

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