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Inventions that Didn't Change the World Julie Halls

Inventions that Didn't Change the World By Julie Halls

Inventions that Didn't Change the World by Julie Halls


$25,49
Condition - Very Good
Only 3 left

Summary

A captivating and humorous selection of inventions catalogued and registered in 19th-century Britain, as revealed through remarkable, unpublished illustrations from the National Archives.

Inventions that Didn't Change the World Summary

Inventions that Didn't Change the World by Julie Halls

Inventions that Didn't Change the World is a fascinating visual tour through some of the most bizarre inventions registered with the British authorities in the nineteenth century. In an era when Britain was the workshop of the world, registration of designs was quicker and cheaper than the convoluted patenting process, and all manner of bizarre curiosities were painstakingly recorded in beautiful color illustrations and well-penned explanatory text, alongside the genuinely great inventions of the period. Irreverent commentary contextualizes each submission as well as taking a humorous view on how each has stood the test of time. This book introduces such gems as a ventilating top hat; an artificial leech; a design for an aerial machine adapted for the arctic regions; an anti-explosive alarm whistle; a tennis racket with ball-picker; and a currant-cleaning machine. Here is everything the end user could possibly require for a problem he never knew he had. Organized by area of application industry, clothing, transportation, medical, health and safety, the home, and leisure Inventions that Didn t Change the World reveals the concerns of a bygone era giddy with the possibilities of a newly industrialized world.

Inventions that Didn't Change the World Reviews

'A treasure trove of self-ventilating hats, boot warmers, hair-brushing machines and improved pickle forks ... a unique insight into the world that spawned them' - Guardian
'Patently daft ... wonderfully wacky ... bonkers' - Daily Mirror
'Hundreds of bizarre nineteenth-century designs ... all laid out with skilful draughtsmanship and Heath Robinson-style eccentricity' - New Statesman (Picture Book of the Week)
'Inventors, however mad, must get things wrong if they are to get things right: a thousand Wallace and Gromits for every Brunel or James Dyson is a price worth paying' - Daily Telegraph
'Irresistible ... these inventions provide entertaining glimpses of the lives, hopes and fears of our nineteenth-century forebears' - The Lancet

About Julie Halls

Julie Halls is a curator and specialist in 19th-century registered designs at the National Archives.

Table of Contents

Introduction * House & Garden * The Workplace * The Individual * Out & About * Preventatives & Panaceas * Sport & Leisure * Health & Safety * Acknowledgments * Picture Credits * Index

Additional information

GOR006451437
9780500517628
0500517622
Inventions that Didn't Change the World by Julie Halls
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Thames & Hudson Ltd
2014-10-01
224
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Inventions that Didn't Change the World