‘In his whistle-stop tour of inventions large and small, the scientist Trevor Norton shares the Gershwins’ view that invention is fundamentally comic.’ The Sunday Times
Trevor Norton, who has been compared to Gerard Durrell and Bill Bryson, weaves an entertaining history with a seductive mix of eureka moments, disasters and dirty tricks.
Although inventors were often scientists or engineers, many were not: Samuel Morse (Morse code) was a painter, Lazlow Biro (ballpoint) was a sculptor and hypnotist, and Logie Baird (TV) sold boot polish. The inventor of the automatic telephone switchboard was an undertaker who believed the operator was diverting his calls to rival morticians so he decided to make all telephone operators redundant.
Inventors are mavericks indifferent to conventional wisdom so critics were dismissive of even their best ideas: radio had ‘no future,’ electric light was ‘an idiotic idea’ and X-rays were ‘a hoax.’ Even so, the state of New Jersey moved to ban X-ray opera glasses. The head of the General Post Office rejected telephones as unneccesary as there were ‘plenty of small boys to run messages.’
Inventomania is a magical place where eccentrics are always in season and their stories are usually unbelievable – but rest assured, nothing has been invented.
Trevor Norton, who has been compared to Gerard Durrell and Bill Bryson, weaves an entertaining history with a seductive mix of eureka moments, disasters and dirty tricks.
Although inventors were often scientists or engineers, many were not: Samuel Morse (Morse code) was a painter, Lazlow Biro (ballpoint) was a sculptor and hypnotist, and Logie Baird (TV) sold boot polish. The inventor of the automatic telephone switchboard was an undertaker who believed the operator was diverting his calls to rival morticians so he decided to make all telephone operators redundant.
Inventors are mavericks indifferent to conventional wisdom so critics were dismissive of even their best ideas: radio had ‘no future,’ electric light was ‘an idiotic idea’ and X-rays were ‘a hoax.’ Even so, the state of New Jersey moved to ban X-ray opera glasses. The head of the General Post Office rejected telephones as unneccesary as there were ‘plenty of small boys to run messages.’
Inventomania is a magical place where eccentrics are always in season and their stories are usually unbelievable – but rest assured, nothing has been invented.
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Reviews
In his whistle-stop tour of inventions large and small, the scientist Trevor Norton shares the Gershwins' view that invention is fundamentally comic... Some of the most amusing bits of Norton's book - whose short chapters encourage you to dip in at random rather than read sequentially - concern those inventions that didn't quite make the grade... Another source of comedy in Norton's history of invention is our changing sense of what matters.
In Norton's breezy telling of man's progress, it is not necessity that is the mother of invention, but other inventors.
A new book tells the remarkable stories behind our everyday lives.
He tells these tales of super-human determination with a sharp twinkle in his eye and an unerring instinct for the absurd.
Norton humanises honest science and sincere endeavour with humour and respect.
Most such histories concentrate either on the Eureka moments or try to convey the mix of inspiration and perspiration that leads to great discoveries. Norton's hugely entertaining romp does both of those, with a large dose of butterscotch ripple provided by the less talented rivals to Archimedes and Edison... For thanks to diligent research Norton has traced the hilarious failures that came before the Eureka moments. Crackpot ideas and great inventions have rarely been combined before to give such a complete and utter picture of the process of inventiveness at its least and most successful... all these and many other necessary failures are lovingly documented by Norton in his all-too-true story of invention.
Norton tells engaging stories in a very readable manner.