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Really Useful: The origins of everyday things
 
 
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Really Useful: The origins of everyday things [Paperback]

Joel Levy (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

The title might be a bit misleading: is it really useful to know that the ant is the only animal that can survive being cooked in a microwave? And if it's not exactly riveting to learn that Post-its were invented by a guy who was frustrated that his page markers kept falling out of his hymn book, that Leonardo da Vinci was the first person known to have designed a kind of calculator (if you discount the abacus) and that rubber erasers are no longer made of real rubber, it is rather addictive to glean such morsels. Delving into the circumstances that brought about objects from the "inside world" (kitchen, bathroom, etc.) and "outside world"(public spaces and "leisure"), Levy (A Natural History of the Unnatural World) champions the underdog-things as mundane as rulers, umbrellas and even Teflon, he tells us, have a story, too. The photography here is mostly in unabashed product-shot mold, and on the whole the book, with frosty color-faded backgrounds and extreme closeups throughout, looks a bit like a sales catalogue. Yet commerce has always driven invention, and it's heartening to know the human side of products that have taken on a mundane ubiquity.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Some ordinary items possess more interest than others--say, the invention of the refrigerator, which traces its origins back to the Chinese habit of cutting and using blocks of ice to preserve foods in 1,000 B.C.E. Others have beginnings that many of us are already familiar with--such as Post-It notes born in the fertile minds of 3M scientists. And still others count in the "who cares?" category, varying from Tupperware to the invention of fireworks. Nonetheless, give Levy (author of A Natural History of the Unnatural World, 2000) some credit, since his more than 100 picks for everyday things demonstrate considerable research expanded in good prose. Geared to Trivial Pursuit-ers--and other collectors of zany intelligentsia flotsam. Further reading and useful Web sites appended. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
Dishwashing only became an issue with the introduction of porcelain tableware in the 18th century, and remained a minor element of the housework for most people. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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2.0 out of 5 stars Not very pleased, Mar 23 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Really Useful: The origins of everyday things (Paperback)
I have purchased many books about the extroardinary things and origins of things in everyday life. I thought this book was very boring, and not very interesting. This is comparing this book to others in the same category like "What Makes Flamingos Pink" and "Extroardinary Origins of Everyday Things". Purchase those two books first, then if you still desire more information, maybe think about purchasing this book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Your rooms are like Museums, April 20 2003
This review is from: Really Useful: The origins of everyday things (Paperback)
...Author Joel Levy's appealing and informative book entitled Really Useful The Origins Of Everyday Things will provide you with the information to continue your conversation. According to Levy "your house is a kind of museum. In every room, on every surface, are the exhibits: everyday things that you take for granted, but each of which has its own story. "The book is a superb endeavour that leads the reader from room to room pointing out the origins and components of such items as deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, eyeglasses, razor blades, Tupperware, plastic band aids, tea bags, instant coffee, tooth brushes, mirrors, showers, plugs and switches, toilets and toilet paper and many more that we presume have always existed. For example, did you know, as the book mentions, "cave paintings and archaeological finds show that prehistoric man was shaving at least as far back as 30, 000 BC. Stone-age cultures used sharp-edged flints, shells, shark's teeth, or volcanic obsidian glass, implements that were still in use under medieval Aztecs and other Stone-Age cultures right up to the 20th century. "Perhaps you were not aware that toilet paper dates back to the sixth-century China, but in most parts of the world was a rare commodity until the 17th and 18th century. Levy also takes us outside the home and tells us about some of the toys we play with, such as the Frisbee. You probably are not aware that the modern recreation of tossing the Frisbee all started at Harvard and Yale in the 1940s. Apparently students attending these Universities amused themselves by throwing around shallow tin pie-pans from the William R. Frisbie bakery of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A gentleman by the name of Walter Frederick Morrison, who was inspired by flying saucers, created his own flying disks and sold his patent to a company called Wham-O Manufacturing. Initially the toy was called "flying saucers." The president of the company, Richard Kerr, decided to name the disks Frisbee after he visited the campuses of Harvard and Yale. We all know how successful the toy became. These are a sampling of the more than the 100 objects and "goodies" Levy writes about in a book that will surely interest young and old. In fact, for most readers, it will probably be a book to slowly digest during the course of several readings. After all, you do want to be able to remember many of the tidbits.
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5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating facts, Feb 12 2003
This review is from: Really Useful: The origins of everyday things (Paperback)
As coffee table books go, this is one of the best to have come out in a long time. Obviously very well researched, and full of fascinating information, I was very pleased when someone gave this to me recently. Oh, and the photos are excellent too.
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