Small chapters, of course, really intriguing photographs of the early version. The Black and Decker hand-held drill is a good one.

FIFTY MACHINES is a fun, thought-provoking book that talks about a variety of machines (since the Industrial Revolution) that changed society in a dramatic way. The author covers a wide range of devices. Everything from the first brick cell-phone to washing machines; from the Jacquard loom to the electron microscope... and more.

Machines get at a minimum, 2 pages which present a little bit about who invented them and why; as well as what changes they evoked and what people thought about them. There are diagrams and pictures.

There's no real introduction that provides a deep and meaningful backdrop to how tools and machines have changed the world. Instead the author just jumps off and begins talking about them, dropping hints about the ramifications as he goes.

Well written, there is no worry that the reader is going to be over-whelmed by too-much information. Instead this is the type of book you might pick up and read a quick chapter at any time.

Fun book. Would make a fine addition to a school or classroom library. Or to the shelves of someone with a nascent interest in machines. Not a book for someone interesting in in-depth research. ( )