Sometime about 30;000 years ago; somebody stuck a sharp rock into a split stick—and presto! The axe was born. Our inquisitive species just loves tinkering; testing; and pushing the limits; and this delightfully different book is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs; notions; and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history.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. 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.
#988787 in Books Johns Hopkins University Press 2013-02-22 2013-02-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .51 x 6.00l; .60 #File Name: 1421409631208 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Colonial HistoryBy Prof. Paul D. McDermottI highly recommend this book. For those interested in colonial history; this book is highly informative regarding the creation of alcoholic beverages-especialy beer; cider; and homemade whiskey. In my study made for one backcountry region-Washington County; Maryland; a comprehensive inventory made in 1783 provided data that stills were widely distributed throughout the county. However; all were owned by relatively wealthy people. The average farmer did not have the capital or the time to run a still. This book creates the argument that in the 17th century Women did most of the work in creating alcoholic beverages-cider and beer. In the late 18th century roles were reversed and at this time whiskey making becomes more commonplace.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Interesting subject bogged down by repetitionBy ladymidnyteFascinating subject stretched out for length. This book gives great insight into a neglected area of Colonial history but it is incredibly repetitive. It seems as if the book was limited by the limited amount of primary sources available. After the first two chapters; you've pretty much garnered all the information the book has to offer.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Boring and uninterestingBy Kate 50I bought this book intrigued by the title and looked forward to learning more about this topic. However I found the book to be very disappointing as much of it was repetitious and boring as if the author needed to fill a required number of pages. I ended up skimming much of it and would not recommend wasting your time.
