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Loading... An Uncommon History of Common Things (edition 2011)by Bethanne Patrick (Author)
Work InformationAn Uncommon History of Common Things by Bethanne Patrick
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This made a fine book for the bathroom, where short articles of interest are sometimes useful. It seems U.S.A. centric, and tells you a little about the origins of items you probably never wondered about but always took for granted. Frequently you are left wanting more, but that's not what this book is about, it is about a taste of knowledge. ( ) Watch Bethanne Patrick interview herself about her book AN UNCOMMON HISTORY OF COMMON THINGS on The Book Studio. no reviews | add a review
From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, "An Uncommon History of Common Things" features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as it explores just about every subject under the sun. It is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs, notions, and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history. Who knew that indoor plumbing has been around for 4,600 years, but punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words only date back to the Dark Ages? Or that ancient soldiers baked a kind of pizza on their shields--when they weren't busy flying kites to frighten their foes? Every page of this quirky compendium catalogs something fascinating, surprising, or serendipitous. A lively, incomparably browsable read for history buffs, pop culture lovers, and anyone who relishes the odd and extraordinary details hidden in the everyday, it will inform, amuse, astonish--and alter the way you think about the clever creatures we call humans. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973History and Geography North America United StatesLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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