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Made in U.S.A.: The Secret Histories of the Things That Made America
Explores the diverse world of gadgets--both functional and frivolous--that America has produced over the years, from Brownie cameras and Mason jars, to electric guitars and lap-top computers. National ad/promo. Tour.
- GenresNonfiction
403 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1992
30 people want to read
About the author
Phil Patton
32 books8 followersPhil Patton is a contributing editor at Departures, Esquire, and I.D., a contributing writer at Wired and an automotive design writer for The New York Times. Phil was a regular contributor to The New York Times Home and Garden section and, in 1998, originated the "Public Eye" column. He has written many books including: Made in USA: The Secret Histories of the Things That Made America (Grove-Weidenfeld, 1992), which was named a New York Times notable book of the year; Bug: The Strange Mutations of the World's Most Famous Automobile (Simon & Schuster, 2002); Michael Graves Designs: The Art of the Everyday Object (Melcher, 2004); and Dreamland: Travels Inside the Secret World of Roswell and Area 51 (Villard, 1998). He has also written for Art in America, ARTnews, Connoisseur, Geo, Harper's Bazaar, Men's Journal, The New Republic, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure, Traveler, The Village Voice and Vogue. Phil was the Editorial Consultant on the Guggenheim Museum's "Motorcycle" show in 1998 and Consulting Curator for the "Different Roads" exhibition at MoMA in 1999. In 2000 he was consultant and contributor for "On the Job: Design and the American Office" at the National Building Museum in Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 29, 2016
Look at the tag of your shirt. More than likely it says made in China, or Taiwan, or Pakistan. Your phone and computer--assembled in China. Even that banana you are eating has a tag saying "Grown in Costa Rica." But what ever happened to American made products? That is what encouraged me to read "Made in the U.S.A.: The Secret Histories of the Things That Made America.¨ I wanted to learn about American made products.
This book started by idolizing an American forefather--Thomas Jefferson. The author discussed several of Jefferson's inventions, such as a portable desk. It went on to discuss how certain products and inventions have become symbols and idols of American manufacturing and ingenuity. The following chapters discussed a variety of inventions including: tools, guns, automobiles, airplanes, water craft, jukeboxes, the telephone, blue jeans, and computers. Physical products were not only discussed, but also manufacturing methods and industry processes: mass production, the assembly line, building construction(log cabins, balloon-frames, skyscrapers, bridges, and plumbing), the convenience store, and fast food. I found the book's organization pattern difficult to follow; for, while some ideas connected, the author tended to jump from idea to idea, seemingly without reason. For example, one chapter of the book discusses how the sewing machine and typewriter facilitated in the production of products such as clothing and books without the need for large factories. The next chapter strays away from manufacturing concepts and mechanical inventions and instead discusses the evolution of--the chair. Even though the book was difficult to follow at times, it offered me many concepts that inspired reflection and thought.
The author, Phil Patton, wrote this book with a very unique style. I found that he didn't just discuss the history of the products; he connected the products with concepts about human nature, invoking philosophical thoughts in the reader. For example, when he discussing the evolution of the chair, he connects it with ergonomics and the human desire for comfort. He also discussed how chairs became adjustable and movable. He talked about how chairs exhibit American restlessness and the need for movement. Chairs were designed to be rocked, to be folded and transported, and even designed for transport such as trains and automobiles. I found myself thinking about how I am constantly active: fidgeting, rocking my chair, traveling. I also considered how the seating in my car encouraged me to drive, to be mobile. I also found myself connecting the information the book presented with things present in today's world, such as how alcohol is sometimes referred to as "booz" and the book explained that the whiskey bottle was invented by one E. G. Booz. I found these connections intoxicating. The author used themes often throughout his book.
The book talked often about art. It talked about how objects in their basic form and function is often viewed as beautiful. American products and designs tended to be basic in form and function as opposed to preceding European and Asian products. The simplicity of design is sometimes viewed as magnificent and beautiful in the eyes of humans. Human nature tended to be a recurring idea throughout the book. Phil Patton discussed how products are used to express individuality within society. Marginal product differentiation allowed people to be unique even when offered the same products. Many inventions allowed for individual empowerment; the firearm allowed one to protect him/herself and the automobile gave the individual the power to travel where they so pleased. Lastly, the author showed how products and inventions encourage and allow people to pursue happiness--the American Dream. Although the book contains great ideas and invokes thought in the reader, the content is difficult to read.
I would not recommend this book to most people. Even though the information is detailed and thought invoking, the book is hard to follow and read. It seems the author wrote it with the belief that the readers have a vast understanding of product design. Throughout the book he rely's on the author having vast background knowledge of art styles, inventors, designers, businessmen, manufacturing and sales methods, and historical products. This makes it difficult for the average reader to fully understand the ideas Patton displays in this work. However, if you are a walking encyclopedia, you may find this an interesting read. If you are not, I would avoid the frustration most people encounter reading this book.
This book started by idolizing an American forefather--Thomas Jefferson. The author discussed several of Jefferson's inventions, such as a portable desk. It went on to discuss how certain products and inventions have become symbols and idols of American manufacturing and ingenuity. The following chapters discussed a variety of inventions including: tools, guns, automobiles, airplanes, water craft, jukeboxes, the telephone, blue jeans, and computers. Physical products were not only discussed, but also manufacturing methods and industry processes: mass production, the assembly line, building construction(log cabins, balloon-frames, skyscrapers, bridges, and plumbing), the convenience store, and fast food. I found the book's organization pattern difficult to follow; for, while some ideas connected, the author tended to jump from idea to idea, seemingly without reason. For example, one chapter of the book discusses how the sewing machine and typewriter facilitated in the production of products such as clothing and books without the need for large factories. The next chapter strays away from manufacturing concepts and mechanical inventions and instead discusses the evolution of--the chair. Even though the book was difficult to follow at times, it offered me many concepts that inspired reflection and thought.
The author, Phil Patton, wrote this book with a very unique style. I found that he didn't just discuss the history of the products; he connected the products with concepts about human nature, invoking philosophical thoughts in the reader. For example, when he discussing the evolution of the chair, he connects it with ergonomics and the human desire for comfort. He also discussed how chairs became adjustable and movable. He talked about how chairs exhibit American restlessness and the need for movement. Chairs were designed to be rocked, to be folded and transported, and even designed for transport such as trains and automobiles. I found myself thinking about how I am constantly active: fidgeting, rocking my chair, traveling. I also considered how the seating in my car encouraged me to drive, to be mobile. I also found myself connecting the information the book presented with things present in today's world, such as how alcohol is sometimes referred to as "booz" and the book explained that the whiskey bottle was invented by one E. G. Booz. I found these connections intoxicating. The author used themes often throughout his book.
The book talked often about art. It talked about how objects in their basic form and function is often viewed as beautiful. American products and designs tended to be basic in form and function as opposed to preceding European and Asian products. The simplicity of design is sometimes viewed as magnificent and beautiful in the eyes of humans. Human nature tended to be a recurring idea throughout the book. Phil Patton discussed how products are used to express individuality within society. Marginal product differentiation allowed people to be unique even when offered the same products. Many inventions allowed for individual empowerment; the firearm allowed one to protect him/herself and the automobile gave the individual the power to travel where they so pleased. Lastly, the author showed how products and inventions encourage and allow people to pursue happiness--the American Dream. Although the book contains great ideas and invokes thought in the reader, the content is difficult to read.
I would not recommend this book to most people. Even though the information is detailed and thought invoking, the book is hard to follow and read. It seems the author wrote it with the belief that the readers have a vast understanding of product design. Throughout the book he rely's on the author having vast background knowledge of art styles, inventors, designers, businessmen, manufacturing and sales methods, and historical products. This makes it difficult for the average reader to fully understand the ideas Patton displays in this work. However, if you are a walking encyclopedia, you may find this an interesting read. If you are not, I would avoid the frustration most people encounter reading this book.
March 10, 2009
I found this book simultaneously frustrating and appealing. Let me get the frustration out of the way first: The book covers a very brief history of a variety of inventions that are uniquely American. That’s not the frustrating part; I was frustrated by the brevity of the inventions discussed, and I found that if I didn’t really closely follow the book’s logic, the inventions would appear initially to be presented in a non-logical disjointed way. That happened enough to cause me just a bit of murmuring and grumbling as I read it.
So what’s good about this book? Well, first for me at least, it served as a reminder that it’s perfectly ok, indeed it’s downright cool, to be an American. Our ingenuity and creativity as a nation frankly deserves to be praised, especially in these days when no one is talking about a gleaming city on a hill anymore.
You’ll read about the invention of Thomas Jefferson’s folding desk—a desk on which he wrote many of the sentences now immortalized in the Declaration of Independence. You’ll read about the development of the Bowie knife and about the surrounding history of the nation that made the knife essential. That section fascinated me. I didn’t know James Bowie was such a hateful nasty guy—or so he’s at least portrayed here. The Bowie knife, you’ll learn, was very specifically designed for fighting and killing—not for hunting or whittling. You’ll also read about the development of the Colt 45, known as the equalizer or the Peacemaker. Of course, you’ll read about our fascination with speed and self service, which naturally led an observant Ray Crock to watch how the McDonald brothers efficiently moved people through their lines in their small California fast-food place—a process Crock would improve and turn into the ubiquitous McDonald’s fast-food chain.
From the Hoover Dam to Henry Ford, you’ll read about numerous inventions, designs, and even processes that are uniquely American—designs and processes that came about as a result of our unique way of looking at the world.
I can’t just flat-out recommend this to you because I found the author’s writing style a bit tedious in a lot of places. His subject matter was certainly fascinating enough, but I had to go back and reread parts of chapters.
So what’s good about this book? Well, first for me at least, it served as a reminder that it’s perfectly ok, indeed it’s downright cool, to be an American. Our ingenuity and creativity as a nation frankly deserves to be praised, especially in these days when no one is talking about a gleaming city on a hill anymore.
You’ll read about the invention of Thomas Jefferson’s folding desk—a desk on which he wrote many of the sentences now immortalized in the Declaration of Independence. You’ll read about the development of the Bowie knife and about the surrounding history of the nation that made the knife essential. That section fascinated me. I didn’t know James Bowie was such a hateful nasty guy—or so he’s at least portrayed here. The Bowie knife, you’ll learn, was very specifically designed for fighting and killing—not for hunting or whittling. You’ll also read about the development of the Colt 45, known as the equalizer or the Peacemaker. Of course, you’ll read about our fascination with speed and self service, which naturally led an observant Ray Crock to watch how the McDonald brothers efficiently moved people through their lines in their small California fast-food place—a process Crock would improve and turn into the ubiquitous McDonald’s fast-food chain.
From the Hoover Dam to Henry Ford, you’ll read about numerous inventions, designs, and even processes that are uniquely American—designs and processes that came about as a result of our unique way of looking at the world.
I can’t just flat-out recommend this to you because I found the author’s writing style a bit tedious in a lot of places. His subject matter was certainly fascinating enough, but I had to go back and reread parts of chapters.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews