Inventions That Didn't Change the World

by Julie Halls

A captivating, humorous, and downright perplexing selection of nineteenth-century inventions as revealed through remarkable–and hitherto unseen–illustrations from the British National Archive Inventions that Didn’t Change the World is a fascinating visual tour through some of the most bizarre inventions registered with the British authorities in the nineteenth century. In an era when Britain was the workshop of the world, design protection (nowadays patenting) was all the rage, and the apparently lenient approval process meant that all manner of bizarre curiosities were painstakingly recorded, in beautiful color illustrations and well-penned explanatory text, alongside the genuinely great inventions of the period. Irreverent commentary contextualizes each submission as well as taking a humorous view on how each has stood the test of time.

This book introduces such gems as a ventilating top hat; an artificial leech; a design for an aerial machine adapted for the arctic regions; an anti-explosive alarm whistle; a tennis racket with ball-picker; and a currant-cleaning machine. Here is everything the end user could possibly require for a problem he never knew he had.

Organized by area of application―industry, clothing, transportation, medical, health and safety, the home, and leisure― Inventions that Didn’t Change the World reveals the concerns of a bygone era giddy with the possibilities of a newly industrialized world. 200 color illustrations

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Technology, Design

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2014

Reviews

[Sofie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tidbitty coffee table book. I went into it expecting a bit more substance. I also read it on an e-reader which isn't the format it lends itself best to. The book is very much about the gorgeous illustrations, and then some easy to read historical facts related to them. If that is the kind of book you're after you should definitely give this a go in its physical format. If you're after something meatier I'd say look for something else.

[Ben Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's definitely a lot of interesting content in this book. However it is presented in such a way that it is thoroughly boring. You can tell that a massive amount of research went into the production of this book, but not enough authoring went into it. There's tons of interesting designs, images and such but the accompanying text of the designs are at most just a regurgitation of the text of the quasi-patents. It's highly useful since the reprinted quasi-patents are mostly written in very formal cursive in 1800's English which even for the most astute will be a challenge to read. But there's hardly any writing about why the products failed, if they ever entered production, or even how they worked (in some cases). But, it could have stood some serious cleanup to meet the vernacular of the times ("shew" is used quite frequently in place of the more modern "show"). The writing at the beginning of each chapter did a good job of setting the stage for the topic in relation to the era, but did that level of description only lasted for a few pages. Overall, it's not a terrible read, but it works better as a coffee table conversation starter than as a page-turner.

[Jessica Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a thing of beauty.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is mostly diagrams and descriptions of little-known, little-produced Victorian nitch inventions, the diagrams taken from the original patent applications. In addition, we get descriptions of the different areas of Victorian life and the problems which inspired these little-known inventors to their surprisingly original, sometimes surprisingly ingeneous, but little-produced inventions. For example, a description of the dangers of fire and haphazard firefighting services opens a section with several diagrams of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and fire escapes.

This book was interesting for a short diversion, but it didn't give any lasting reward. What inspired the inventors of these inventions? Why weren't they produced? What did the inventors do afterwards? We're left to only guess. There's no story here.

[Eric Xia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, the summary sections of text are informative but very unhelpful for understanding the purpose or modes of failure for each of the inventions. More of a focus on trends within the inventions instead of on broad social categories would be helpful.

[Moza Al Falasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books, I didn't go through the written parts of it but enjoyed looking at the visuals.

[RACHEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halls takes readers on a fun look at life in Victorian England by going through the records of new design registrations. The rise of industry brought a rush of inventions which give us a look into the times and imaginations taking hold while the world changed. Even the “Inventions That Didn’t Change the World” shed light on the dynamic time in history.

My copy was a gift through Goodreads First Reads.

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We always focus on the revolutionary--things that worked, things that changed the world. But we then forget all the things that didn't change the world. Some of these inventions, in retrospect, seem idiotic or ridiculous; others seem brilliant and yet for some reason or another, didn't take off. This book provides a great look at 19th century inventions, with great visuals of the actual patents and drawings made by the inventors themselves.

[Bleachedblackcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure about the actual book but the kindle version was a mess. Also was kinda boring from the few bits I managed to read. Again, this is the kindle edition so the hardback might be fine aside from perhaps being boring

[Mandy Mccartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. I am not surprised that many did not soar to popularity. Others would have definitely made an impact.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as interesting as it appeared at first glance.