Product Description

Civilization has many facets, but how man lives depends very much on what he can make. The object of this book is to arouse wider interest in the way in which technological factors have shaped - and continue to shape - human history. Technological achievements have not only filled our material needs, but also expanded our spiritual and cultural horizons. The book shows how inventions have revolutionized the way artists, craftsmen, philosophers and even theologians have seen and explained our world. At the beginning of civilization inventors were anonymous - we don't know who made the first wheel or smelted the first copper - but as the story unfolds inventions can be attributed to particular individuals or companies who were sensitive to social and economic opportunity, up to the modern day where it is only major companies who can afford the research and development costs to venture further into the unknown. The book also looks to the future to see where the scientists of tomorrow will be taking us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2476366 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

Review
This is a revised edition of William's popular guide to technological innovation over the last eight millennia of recorded history. It is the kind of book that will be invaluable to students and teachers as well as an interesting and useful reference work to have at home. It is arranged chronologically into five sections - the ancient world, the middle ages, the first industrial age, the early 20th century, and the post war world - and contains brief accounts detailing each of the inventions that have gradually transformed every aspect of the way we live. Richly illustrated, this is an admirable introduction to the ingenuity with which humankind has risen to its challenges, from the struggle to sustain life to the age of instant global communication. (Kirkus UK)

About the Author
Trevor Williams was the editor of the international scientific review Endeavour. He was also the managing editor of the definitive eight-volume History of Technology.