House of Invention: The Secret Life of Everyday Objects: Amazon.ca: David Lindsay: Books

Product Description

Review

"An ideal introduction to the world of inventors and their inventions."
--Booklist

"Lindsay's writing is excellent and often delightfully humorous."
--Library Journal

Book Description

Take a look around you--every little object and product has its own story to tell, and here are the most fascinating. (SEE 2 QUOTES.)

See all Product Description

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book!, Feb 24 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: House of Invention: The Secret Life of Everyday Objects (Paperback)

This is an interesting collection of essays on the origins of many common household items.

Some of these essays stray off the point a bit. I'm still not clear as to how the Nautillus exercise machine, or shatterproof glasses, or the electrical outlet were invented. But all-in-all, this book was informative as well as easy and fun to read. In addition to (or, in a few cases, instead of) just an account of how something was invented, it tells you some interesting (and sometimes disturbing) details of the lives of various inventors.

I haven't read Charles Panati's "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" (which some reviewers think is better than "House of Invention"). Perhaps that one might be worth a look too. In any case, I recommend Mr. Lindsay's book as well.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

3.0 out of 5 stars THE MOTHER OF ALL INVENTIONS?, Dec 31 2002

By

Alan W. Petrucelli (THE ENTERTAINMENT REPORT (ALAN W. PETRUCELLI)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: House of Invention: The Extraordinary Evolution of Everyday Objects (Hardcover)

Here's a fun way to bust out of the doldrums and learn about the really important things in life. Author David Lindsay has stuck his nose (and eyes and feet and Lord-knows-what-else) to find the truth behind the origins of those things we take for granted. Like Vaseline. It was first marketed as a medicine, Doris Day slathers the stuff on her nightly (let's face it, her skin is oh-so-soft) and its inventor ate a spoonful of the stuff every day...and lived to his 90s. Like the intermittent windshield wiper. It was invented by a man who was hit in the eye with a champagne cork on his wedding night, causing permanent damage. (All that squinting in rainy weather.) Like the brassiere. The over-the-shoulder boulder holder was invented by the very first Girl Scout of America as an alternative to the restrictive corsets of the late 19th-century. Now, really, would we make this stuff up?ONS

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

2.0 out of 5 stars History of Technology Lite, Aug 25 2002

By

A. Bowdoin Van Riper (Vineyard Haven, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: House of Invention: The Extraordinary Evolution of Everyday Objects (Hardcover)

There's nothing actively wrong with this book . . . Lindsay gets his facts straight, he has a gift for brief, deft sketches of colorful people, and the 21 short essays that make up the book are pleasant-enough reading. It works well in situations (the bathroom, the carpool line at your kid's school) where reading opportunities come regularly but in small chunks. Lindsay is at his best when he's doing the small-but-important inventions: the brown paper bag, breakfast cereal, the bra, and so forth. Let loose in the big time (television, alternating current), his storytelling goes flat . . . perhaps because of the need to compress so much information into a few pages. Because most of the inventions he covers *are* small, however, the flatness never lasts for long. I never put the book down unhappy.

Why, then, only two stars?

Because Charles Panati's _Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things_ is just as much fun and far more comprehensive. Because James Burke's books, such as<_The Knowledge Web_ and _Circles_, are more audaciously conceived and have a better sense of history. Because Henry Petroski's _The Evolution of Useful Things_ tells the inventors' stories <i>and</i> analyzes the process of invention.

Why bother with hamburger--even really good hamburger--if you can get steak for the same price?

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 9 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews 3.6 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Offbeat book on the origins of everyday products
"House of Invention" is a spry, anecdotal account of (mostly) obscure inventors and their inventions. Inspiration for new products could come from many sources. Read more

Published on Feb 28 2002 by E. A. Lovitt

1.0 out of 5 stars Panati's 'Extraordinary Origins / Everyday Things' is better
Lindsay seems to have relied very heavily on Charles Panati's classic "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" - still a bestseller. Read more