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Beyond Fact: The Evolution of Invention

The Evolution of Useful Things bookjacket The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts — From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers — Came to be as They Are by Henry Petroski
An intricate look, in ordinary language, at the technology and basic rationale behind a number of items we often take for granted and the theoretical, historical and cultural frameworks that influenced these creations.
The Ghost Map bookjacket The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
In 1854, London is emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. Lacking the infrastructure — garbage removal, clean water, sewers — necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city becomes a breeding ground for a terrifying disease and a physician and a local curate are spurred to action to solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time.
Longitude bookjacket Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
The dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest: John Harrison's 40-year obsession with finding a mechanical solution to the problem of navigation at sea including a brief, but fascinating look at the history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late bookjacket Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon
The exciting story of the pioneers responsible for creating the most talked about, most influential, and most far-reaching communications breakthrough since the invention of the telephone.