Breverton’s Encyclopedia of Inventions: A Compendium of Technological Leaps, Groundbreaking Discoveries and Scientific Breakthroughs

by Terry Breverton

An extraordinary guide to the greatest feats of ingenuity and innovation.

• Who flew before the Wright brothers?

• How was plastic surgery invented?

• Did Leonardo da Vinci design the first robot?

• When was the first e-mail sent?

• Where was beer first brewed?

• Who invented zero?

From the fish hook to fibre optics, the pyramids to the postage stamp, and from gunpowder to GPS, this eclectic compendium will inform, inspire and fascinate anyone curious to know more about the moments of genius that have shaped our lives today.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Reference

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2012

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A densely packed book that highlights unsung heroes of invention and demystifies long-celebrated ones. Of course, Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions relies on our imperfect historical record to attribute specific discoveries to people and societies and eras, while at turns acknowledging the inherent limitations of this method. My main gripe with this book is a typical issue with encyclopedias, where entries can't always get the breadth of explanation and description needed to be fully appreciated by a general readership. There are plenty of entries I reread endlessly to decipher some meaning without success. Again, this is a predictable impediment of encyclopedia's in general, so I'm not too critical of it. I really enjoyed this book for the slices of insight it offered every time I opened it up.

[Pulok Bhattacharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could be a lot better at structuring the material; felt like reading the tax code; ironically, it is an index of inventions, thus should read like one; but one can only wish!

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comes across as a bit history textbook-y at times, rather than being the concise and fascinating look at inventions that I was hoping for. The subject matter is good and detailed...but I feel like it missed a bit of a trick in popularising science – it includes primary sources like letters within the text, which is a real slog to wade through if you just want a brief overview of the processes contributing to great achievements.

Whilst it might not hold the attention long enough to read in more than 10-20 page bursts (the opposite of say, Bill Bryson), it is very concerned about being historically accurate (the opposite of say, Bill Bryson), and does correctly attribute credit to inventors forgotten by popular culture because they weren't the ones to popularise their inventions. The time spent on seemingly trivial items like matches, tin cans and soap adds to the credibility of the book in my eyes, with thorough explanations detailing just how monumental these items are in our everyday lives. The author remains impartial throughout, bar a few remarks on global warming, and he really brings home the fact that most technology is built on the shoulders of inventors. This book is a bit of a grower as it's easier to connect with the technology of the recent past than the abstract ideas of the distant past.

It did well to shine a spotlight on some of the lesser known heroes of history like John von Neumann, John Smeaton, Charles Babbage, Ibn Khalaf and Thomas Young and it also encouraged me to investigate some of the women so vital to our society. These included Grace Hopper – creator of the first compiler, Ada Lovelace – the first computer programmer, Marie Curie – Physics and Chemistry Nobel prize winner for her work on radiation, Dorothy Mary Hodgkin – discoverer of penicillin's structure and Lady Montagu for the spread of the Smallpox inoculation.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written book, charting the history of inventions from pre-historic times to 2001. The infomation on each invention is small and sharp keeping to the point of exactly what you what to know. There are a few surprises as to who invented some well known items.

For anyone wanting a brief introduction to inventive history, I would recommend this book.

[Wayne Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for delving into now and again and learning something you didn't know about when, where, and by whom something was discovered or invented. Each piece is short and well written and gives you an excellent look at the history of each important discovery - some of which were invented a long time before you probably thought they were.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this along side my books This year and finished it this morning a fascinating insight into the worlds greatest inventions and the real people who invented them for instance It was not Fleming invented Penecillin but his assistant, Edison did not invent the Light bulb A guy called swan did all stuff for a night of QI

[Kalilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and beneficial. Some things within this book you'll already know, other stuff you probably wont. Full of facts, perfect for curious minds.

[Saruuh Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and interesting. Would recommend to anyone who likes to be fancy and knowledgeable.