Petroski Henry. The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to Be as They Are

NY: Vintage, 1994. — 219 p. — ISBN: 978-0679740391, 0679740392.How did the table fork acquire a fourth tine? What advantage does the Phillips-head screw have over its single-grooved predecessor? Why does the paper clip look the way it does? What makes Scotch tape Scotch? In this delightful book Henry, Petroski takes a microscopic look at artifacts that most of us count on but rarely contemplate, including such icons of the everyday as pins, Post-its, and fast-food «clamshell» containers. At the same time, he offers a convincing new theory of technological innovation as a response to the perceived failures of existing products—suggesting that irritation, and not necessity, is the mother of invention.Preface.
How the Fork Got Its Tines.
Form Follows Failure.
Inventors as Critics.
From Pins to Paper Clips.
Little Things Can Mean a Lot.
Stick Before ZIP.
Tools Make Tools.
Patterns of Proliferation.
Domestic Fashion and Industrial Design.
The Power of Precedent.
Closure Before Opening.
Big Bucks from Small Change.
When Good Is Better Than Best.
Always Room for Improvement.
Notes.
Bibliography.
List of Illustrations.
Also by Henry Petroski.