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The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention
by Rosen, William | PB | VeryGood
US $8.04
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“May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend ”... Read moreabout condition
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eBay item number:196329393545
Item specifics
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller Notes
- Binding
- Paperback
- Weight
- 1 lbs
- Product Group
- Book
- IsTextBook
- No
- ISBN
- 9780226726342
- Book Title
- Most Powerful Idea in the World : a Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention
- Item Length
- 9in
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Publication Year
- 2012
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- Item Height
- 1in
- Genre
- Technology & Engineering, Law, Psychology, Science, History
- Topic
- Intellectual Property / General, Creative Ability, Europe / Great Britain / General, Modern / General, History, Industrial Technology
- Item Width
- 6in
- Item Weight
- 19.1 Oz
- Number of Pages
- 376 Pages
About this product
Product Information
Hardly a week passes without some high-profile court case that features intellectual property at its center. But how did the belief that one could own an idea come about? And how did that belief change the way humankind lives and works? William Rosen, author of Justinian's Flea , seeks to answer these questions and more with The Most Powerful Idea in the World . A lively and passionate study of the engineering and scientific breakthroughs that led to the steam engine, this book argues that the very notion of intellectual property drove not only the invention of the steam engine but also the entire Industrial Revolution: history's first sustained era of economic improvement. To do so, Rosen conjures up an eccentric cast of characters, including the legal philosophers who enabled most the inventive society in millennia, and the scientists and inventors--Thomas Newcomen, Robert Boyle, and James Watt--who helped to create and perfect the steam engine over the centuries. With wit and wide-ranging curiosity, Rosen explores the power of creativity, capital, and collaboration in the brilliant engineering of the steam engine and how this power source, which fueled factories, ships, and railroads, changed human history. Deeply informative and never dull, Rosen's account of one of the most important inventions made by humans is a rollicking ride through history, with careful scholarship and fast-paced prose in equal measure.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
ISBN-10
0226726347
ISBN-13
9780226726342
eBay Product ID (ePID)
110904553
Product Key Features
Book Title
Most Powerful Idea in the World : a Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Intellectual Property / General, Creative Ability, Europe / Great Britain / General, Modern / General, History, Industrial Technology
Publication Year
2012
Genre
Technology & Engineering, Law, Psychology, Science, History
Number of Pages
376 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9in
Item Height
1in
Item Width
6in
Item Weight
19.1 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Tj461.R67 2012
Reviews
"A Fascinating, Wide-Ranging Narrative. . . . a Staggering Work of Epistemological Research." Kirkus, "This book has a crackling energy to it, often as riveting as it is educational."-- Los Angeles Times, "A fascinating, wide-ranging narrative. . . . A staggering work of epistemological research."- Kirkus, Rosen has a facility for the telling anecdote and the quirky aside. Open nearly any page of the book and you'll learn tidbits like that Abraham Lincoln had a love of things mechanical and is the only American president to be awarded a patent (for air chambers that add buoyancy to steam ships and other boats). . . . The Most Powerful Idea in the World is enjoyable reading, although it does go into a lot of detail about steam engines, and you will learn more about how they work than you might expect., "This Book Has a Crackling Energy to It, Often As Riveting As It Is Educational."- Los Angeles Times, " The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention is a sneaky history-ostensibly about the origins of the steam engine, though actually about much more. . . . Rosen is a natural and playful storyteller, and his digressions both inform the narrative and lend it an eccentric and engaging rhythm."- New York Times, The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention is a sneaky history-ostensibly about the origins of the steam engine, though actually about much more. . . . Rosen is a natural and playful storyteller, and his digressions both inform the narrative and lend it an eccentric and engaging rhythm., The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention is a sneaky history--ostensibly about the origins of the steam engine, though actually about much more. . . . Rosen is a natural and playful storyteller, and his digressions both inform the narrative and lend it an eccentric and engaging rhythm.
Table of Content
List of Illustrations Prologue ROCKET concerning ten thousand years, a hundred lineages, and two revolutions Chapter One CHANGES IN THE ATMOSPHERE concerning how a toy built in Alexandria failed to inspire, and how a glass tube made in Italy succeeded; the spectacle of two German hemispheres attached to sixteen German horses; and the critical importance of nothing at all Chapter Two A GREAT COMPANY OF MEN concerning the many uses of a piston; how the world''s first scientific society was founded at a college with no students; and the inspirational value of armories, Nonconformist preachers, incomplete patterns, and snifting valves Chapter Three THE FIRST AND TRUE INVENTOR concerning a trial over the ownership of a deck of playing cards; a utopian fantasy island in the South Seas; one Statute and two Treatises; and the manner in which ideas were transformed from something one discovers to something one owns Chapter Four A VERY GREAT QUANTITY OF HEAT concerning the discovery of fatty earth; the consequences of the deforestation of Europe; the limitations of waterpower; the experimental importance of a Scotsman''s ice cube; and the search for the most valuable jewel in Britain Chapter Five SCIENCE IN HIS HANDS concerning the unpredictable consequences of sea air on iron telescopes; the power of the cube-square law; the Incorporation of Hammermen; the nature of insight; and the long-term effects of financial bubbles Chapter Six THE WHOLE THING WAS ARRANGED IN MY MIND concerning the surprising contents of a Ladies Diary; invention by natural selection; the Flynn Effect; neuronal avalanches; the critical distinction between invention and innovation; and the memory of a stroll on Glasgow Green Chapter Seven MASTER OF THEM ALL concerning differences among Europe''s monastic brotherhoods; the unlikely contribution of the brewing of beer to the forging of iron; the geometry of crystals; and an old furnace made new Chapter Eight A FIELD THAT IS ENDLESS concerning the unpredictable consequences of banking crises; a Private Act of Parliament; the folkways of Cornish miners; the difficulties in converting reciprocating into rotational motion; and the largest flour mill in the world Chapter Nine QUITE SPLENDID WITH A FILE concerning the picking of locks; the use of wood in the making of iron, and iron in the making of wood; the very great importance of very small errors; blocks of all shapes and sizes; and the tool known as "the Lord Chancellor" Chapter Ten TO GIVE ENGLAND THE POWER OF COTTON concerning the secret of silk spinning; two men named Kay; a child called Jenny; the breaking of frames; the great Cotton War between Calcutta and Lancashire; and the violent resentments of stocking knitters Chapter Eleven WEALTH OF NATIONS concerning Malthusian traps and escapes; spillovers and residuals; the uneasy relationship between population growth and innovation; and the limitations of Chinese emperors, Dutch bankers, and French revolutionaries Chapter Twelve STRONG STEAM concerning a Cornish Giant, and a trip up Camborne Hill; the triangular relationship between power, weight, and pressure; George Washington''s flour mill and the dredging of the Schuylkill River; the long trip from Cornwall to Peru; and the most important railroad race in history Epilogue THE FUEL OF INTEREST Acknowledgments Notes Index
Copyright Date
2012
Lccn
2011-029743
Dewey Decimal
909.81
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
23
Illustrated
Yes
Item description from the seller
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eBay item number:196329393545
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Dvd arrived quickly and well packaged and taken care of. The item was listed as acceptable and met all of my needs but here's a quick description of what I got: Some wear is visible on the plastic sleeve on the outside of the case. The inside leaflet was still there! The disk has about 3 very notable scratches, although none are bigger than about 2 centimeters. Little to no grime anywhere on the product. Great service!
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Just received my order/Package and it was just as listed. There's no problems or concerns with this order and I look forward to doing more business with this company. Again Thanks For All Your Time And Help Sincerely Lawrence Lee Stratch Jr
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