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Brief Histories of Everyday Objects
NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Hilarious, entertaining, and illustrated histories behind some of life's most common and underappreciated objects - from the paperclip and the toothbrush to the sports bra and roller skates
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects is a graphic tour through the unusual creation of some of the mundane items that surround us in our daily lives. Chapters are peppered with ballpoint pen riots, cowboy wars, and really bad Victorian practical jokes.
Structured around the different locations in our home and daily life—the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, and the grocery store—award-nominated illustrator Andy Warner traces the often surprising and sometimes complex histories behind the items we often take for granted. Readers learn how Velcro was created after a Swiss engineer took his dog for a walk; how a naval engineer invented the Slinky; a German housewife, the coffee filter; and a radical feminist and anti-capitalist, the game Monopoly.
This is both a book of histories and a book about histories. It explores how lies become legends, trade routes spring up, and empires rise and fall—all from the perspective of your toothbrush or toilet.
Hilarious, entertaining, and illustrated histories behind some of life's most common and underappreciated objects - from the paperclip and the toothbrush to the sports bra and roller skates
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects is a graphic tour through the unusual creation of some of the mundane items that surround us in our daily lives. Chapters are peppered with ballpoint pen riots, cowboy wars, and really bad Victorian practical jokes.
Structured around the different locations in our home and daily life—the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, and the grocery store—award-nominated illustrator Andy Warner traces the often surprising and sometimes complex histories behind the items we often take for granted. Readers learn how Velcro was created after a Swiss engineer took his dog for a walk; how a naval engineer invented the Slinky; a German housewife, the coffee filter; and a radical feminist and anti-capitalist, the game Monopoly.
This is both a book of histories and a book about histories. It explores how lies become legends, trade routes spring up, and empires rise and fall—all from the perspective of your toothbrush or toilet.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
11 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
Andy Warner
26 books61 followersAndy Warner creates nonfiction comics.
He is the author of Pets & Pests, This Land is My Land, Spring Rain, and the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.
He is a contributing editor at The Nib and teaches cartooning at Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
His work has been published widely, including by Slate, American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, IDEO.org, The Center for Constitutional Rights, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, Google X and Buzzfeed.
He was a recipient of the 2018 Berkeley Civic Arts Grant and the 2019 and 2021 Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Artist-in-Residency.
He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.
He is the author of Pets & Pests, This Land is My Land, Spring Rain, and the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.
He is a contributing editor at The Nib and teaches cartooning at Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
His work has been published widely, including by Slate, American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, IDEO.org, The Center for Constitutional Rights, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, Google X and Buzzfeed.
He was a recipient of the 2018 Berkeley Civic Arts Grant and the 2019 and 2021 Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Artist-in-Residency.
He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
May 1, 2024
Some may consider this the upscale choice for bathroom reading. I think it deserves better.
There is plenty of interesting research that went into this book on subjects that range from bath tubs to paper bags to coffee beans. Each vignette is accompanied by one or more graphic panels that reinforce the text while often providing an amusing slant.
This is probably going to end up saying more about me than the book, but some of the “facts” that I found interesting included:
Most Americans only started brushing their teeth after World War II when soldiers brought the habit back.
Velcro, the trade name for “loop and hook fasteners” was given a big boost by NASA using it to keep things from floating in weightless space.
Kites were likely invented over 2,500 years ago in China where the “Han Dynasty found a use for them carrying gunpowder which was used to bomb enemy camps."
Perhaps the best story in the book concerns Amanda T. Jones and how her spirit guide led her to found a new industrial giant, the Women's Canning and Preserving Company, with a result that boosted feminism for a while.
I am going to give it high marks
There is plenty of interesting research that went into this book on subjects that range from bath tubs to paper bags to coffee beans. Each vignette is accompanied by one or more graphic panels that reinforce the text while often providing an amusing slant.
This is probably going to end up saying more about me than the book, but some of the “facts” that I found interesting included:
Most Americans only started brushing their teeth after World War II when soldiers brought the habit back.
Velcro, the trade name for “loop and hook fasteners” was given a big boost by NASA using it to keep things from floating in weightless space.
Kites were likely invented over 2,500 years ago in China where the “Han Dynasty found a use for them carrying gunpowder which was used to bomb enemy camps."
Perhaps the best story in the book concerns Amanda T. Jones and how her spirit guide led her to found a new industrial giant, the Women's Canning and Preserving Company, with a result that boosted feminism for a while.
I am going to give it high marks
February 16, 2017
So right up my alley. Short comics with bits of history about the development of all kinds of mundane objects. I absolutely love this kind of thing, and all the more so because it's funny as well.
October 25, 2024
Read in a South Jersey public library while waiting for my friend. Funny and a nice diversity (in every way) of inventors
February 27, 2017
Short comics that tell the stories behind the invention of, or simply associated with, various everday objects, i.e. paperclips, potato chips, sports bras, beer cans, etc. Warner has an eye for an interesting anecdote and tells his stories with economy and good humor. He also does good research, not just accepting the first version of the story he happens to encounter. He does repeat some bogus stories, but makes it clear that they are just that: stories. Each tale is rounded out by a few one panel factoids that didn't rate inclusion into the main story. Of course there's a bibliography at the end of the book. This book is very much in the spirit of Larry Gonnick, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Hopefully, it's just the first of many.
February 1, 2017
A slightly deeper and funnier book than I first expected. A simple, basic idea: short factoids about the origins and development of everyday items like the pencil or the safety pin or tea or the sports bra. And while it reads quick, the stories have a bit more substance to them. They focus on the role of non-white-European men in the development of most of these products. There is an honest look at those who weren't fast enough for history or the examples of western inventions that had been in use elsewhere in the world for years. And the writer/artist has a dark, wicked sense of humor. 3.5 stars, weighted high for the humor and the forgotten history.
June 27, 2017
This was fun, light nonfiction. The research, comics, and humor were a great combination.
November 21, 2017
Fun random trivia, aka totally my jam. I especially like all the shade rightfully thrown at all the racist and sexist aspects of the histories.
March 5, 2018
It was so interesting learning the history of all of these objects that we use all the time! Also, I laughed multiple time, very funny.
November 11, 2021
History in a comic-book format. Very interesting subject matter, but not a lot of depth. Quite funny in places: the author flat-out admits that he made up dialogue just to get a good joke. And for anyone worried about credibility, he makes it very clear which speech-bubble comments are made up and which ones are verified. A fun romp through history.
October 30, 2023
Tries to take a humorous look at the origins of everyday objects. Where did kitty litter come from? (for example).
There are some surprises (tooth brushes in North America only became popular after WW2).
In other matters, such as barbed wire, the origins are skipped over in order to relate a bit of Texas history.
I found the humour not consistently appealing, especially if a reader might really be interested in the facts and not the author yelling Look at me!!
There are some surprises (tooth brushes in North America only became popular after WW2).
In other matters, such as barbed wire, the origins are skipped over in order to relate a bit of Texas history.
I found the humour not consistently appealing, especially if a reader might really be interested in the facts and not the author yelling Look at me!!
February 18, 2020
I had so much fun with Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. If you have a short attention span, are interested in fun facts, appreciate diversity and inclusion in your mini-biographies, and are willing to stomach a huge number of (often hilarious!) comic asides, this book will be right up your alley.
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects reminds me strongly of the excellent Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. Similar art, similar jam-packed design, similar comic leanings. As a Hazardous Tales lover, I was of course smitten with the similar packaging here. I relayed a number of fun facts from the book to friends - you know a read is good when you have to share it with others.
More often than not, I wanted to share how a non-white-male inventor changed the world in a small, but essential way. Margaret Knight and the grocery store paper bag, for example. Sure, the book is still mostly populated with old white men doing their thing, but I feel like Andy Warner took extra care to include history's often overlooked inventors. And Warner's comic asides more often that not point out the hypocrisy of the patriarchy. It's fantastic and just subtle enough that it doesn't feel like Warner is frantically trying to hammer home a point.
I could easily have read another 500 pages of these bite-size biographies. Or I could have read Warner's take on some longer biographies. Basically, I closed the book simply wanting more of anything from Andy Warner. Good thing my hold on Spring Rain just came in at the library.
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects reminds me strongly of the excellent Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. Similar art, similar jam-packed design, similar comic leanings. As a Hazardous Tales lover, I was of course smitten with the similar packaging here. I relayed a number of fun facts from the book to friends - you know a read is good when you have to share it with others.
More often than not, I wanted to share how a non-white-male inventor changed the world in a small, but essential way. Margaret Knight and the grocery store paper bag, for example. Sure, the book is still mostly populated with old white men doing their thing, but I feel like Andy Warner took extra care to include history's often overlooked inventors. And Warner's comic asides more often that not point out the hypocrisy of the patriarchy. It's fantastic and just subtle enough that it doesn't feel like Warner is frantically trying to hammer home a point.
I could easily have read another 500 pages of these bite-size biographies. Or I could have read Warner's take on some longer biographies. Basically, I closed the book simply wanting more of anything from Andy Warner. Good thing my hold on Spring Rain just came in at the library.
March 23, 2017
Many common objects have interesting and unexpected histories and legends attached to them. This volume tells the stories of forty-five such items. Most tellings have some authentic history, though many items like tea and dice are so ancient as to have no definitive origin story attached. Many cultures have come up with common objects. Making a claim for uniqueness or originality is not always possible. Author Andy Warner has managed to find common threads and running gags to tie items together.
The information provided by the book is more like cocktail party trivia than in-depth history. Each item is covered in four pages through cartoons, so detailed accounts are virtually impossible. Often, entertaining stories are favored over origins or creations. The bit about barbed wire is all about the Texas cattle wars, when ranchers used the stuff to keep wandering herds off their property. The part about stamps is devoted to the guy who came up with postcards (so why isn't the four-pager called "Postcards" instead of "Stamps"?). The trivia is interesting but feather-weight. Other stories, like the origins of velcro and microwave ovens, are very familiar.
The book is entertaining, but there's a lot more sauce than meat served up. Ultimately it's not satisfying.
The information provided by the book is more like cocktail party trivia than in-depth history. Each item is covered in four pages through cartoons, so detailed accounts are virtually impossible. Often, entertaining stories are favored over origins or creations. The bit about barbed wire is all about the Texas cattle wars, when ranchers used the stuff to keep wandering herds off their property. The part about stamps is devoted to the guy who came up with postcards (so why isn't the four-pager called "Postcards" instead of "Stamps"?). The trivia is interesting but feather-weight. Other stories, like the origins of velcro and microwave ovens, are very familiar.
The book is entertaining, but there's a lot more sauce than meat served up. Ultimately it's not satisfying.
September 1, 2024
3.5⭐️ rounded down
A super fun, quick read with well-researched tales from items all around the world.
While it is packed with great information, I felt like the histories were almost too brief, topping at about 3.5 pages per item. So, while it’s wonderfully illustrated and researched, the information is harder to retain.
A fun read overall!
A super fun, quick read with well-researched tales from items all around the world.
While it is packed with great information, I felt like the histories were almost too brief, topping at about 3.5 pages per item. So, while it’s wonderfully illustrated and researched, the information is harder to retain.
A fun read overall!
September 17, 2018
That was brilliant and quirky and hilarious.
December 28, 2019
Amazing book! Sad to find there weren't any histories on showerheads. Would recommend to all ages.
Well done Andy! Literally amazed to find that there was riots in London, bones, and animal hairs in the history of toothbrushes!
Well done Andy! Literally amazed to find that there was riots in London, bones, and animal hairs in the history of toothbrushes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2020
Har du noen lurt på hvordan mikrobølgeovnen, te, sikkerhetsnålen, tannbørsten og brusboksen ble oppfunnet? Disse tingene og mange dagligdagse gjenstander lærer du om i Andy Warners Brief History of Everyday Objects. Boka er illustrert som tegneserier og veldig morsom å lese. Anbefales!
May 27, 2017
At first I thought this book might just be a fun and quick read...but it was so much more. I often forget about how crazy even the smallest histories are, especially concerning inventions. When you can create something that people want--God Lord--is the history behind it exciting, tragic and whatnot. Andy Warner, the author, inserts his quirky humor into things and it is a real treat. This is an excellent coffee table book and one I could easily read again.
January 9, 2017
Short, silly, fun, and fast. Andy Warner has taken a large collection of everyday items, from the toothbrush to Monopoly, and created brief, three-page graphic depictions of bizarre or interesting information about their creation. For example, paper spurred the development of the Arab Golden Age, and was acquired when Arabic forces captured two Chinese papermakers who swapped the ability to make paper (at least in their style) for their lives. Warner depicts this and other tales in an engaging graphic style, with funny dialogue (made up, unless sourced) and an extensive bibliography. He also includes a short section called "Briefer Histories," which contains random but interesting facts. There's a minor running joke about inventors who failed to patent their world-changing inventions who then died poor; it's sad but entertaining the way Warner puts it, and I hope they enjoy their rent-saving house together.
In short, this is fun and fast. Don't pick this up looking for in-depth history or any analysis; it's a visual fact book, but a good one. It has some genuinely interesting and new information alongside the old stories. Definitely a recommendation for a bored afternoon when you'd like to learn something new.
In short, this is fun and fast. Don't pick this up looking for in-depth history or any analysis; it's a visual fact book, but a good one. It has some genuinely interesting and new information alongside the old stories. Definitely a recommendation for a bored afternoon when you'd like to learn something new.
November 27, 2016
This could have been so much more. I was expecting some social history of the objects, but instead it was almost completely about the inventors or related inventions. The focus was often on the bizarre and funny instead of the meaningful. Case in point: when talking about the bicycle, Warner mentioned Susan B. Anthony's quote about how influential bicycles were for women's independence. However, he didn't follow it up with any evidence and instead only talked about bizarre bike riding clothes developed for women.
Warner does highlight the trials of inventors, especially those of women and people of color. It was clear he either set out to or quickly made a point of highlighting the diversity behind our everyday objects. (Did you know that two Syrian immigrants helped co-invent the ice-cream cone at Chicago's World Fair? Let's bring more of them into the US.)
The one thing I did learn: the Arabs captured two Chinese paper makers in battle and got them to teach them how to make paper. The new technology helped fuel the Arab golden age of learning that among other things kept science and the Greeks alive during European medieval times.
Warner does highlight the trials of inventors, especially those of women and people of color. It was clear he either set out to or quickly made a point of highlighting the diversity behind our everyday objects. (Did you know that two Syrian immigrants helped co-invent the ice-cream cone at Chicago's World Fair? Let's bring more of them into the US.)
The one thing I did learn: the Arabs captured two Chinese paper makers in battle and got them to teach them how to make paper. The new technology helped fuel the Arab golden age of learning that among other things kept science and the Greeks alive during European medieval times.
January 24, 2017
Lots of fun with a great sense of humor and exhaustively researched, this can wear on the reader after a bit, but this is, I suspect, not the fault of Mr. Warner. History can have a kind of bleak view when one backs up and looks at it, and there is a fair amount of cheating, avarice, theft and oppression in this book which even when handled amusingly, can try a person's very soul. I wouldn't have this material presented any other way, but this is a pretty sword with a sharp edge, in my opinion.
October 27, 2016
Irreverent and informative graphic novel micro-histories about everything from Velcro to paper clips. Fun factoids and odd details about various inventors' hard-luck lives and/or good fortune. Entertaining and imaginatively done.
August 21, 2017
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects by Andy Warner is a hilarious non-fiction graphic novel that describes how many of the items that we take for granted have interesting, unusual, and sometimes downright silly origins. The author guessed when it came down to deciding what people looked like and what they said (unless they were quoted), but the facts are all true! Once you read this book, you will never look at the things you use on a daily basis in the same way again. The next time you go to a party, you’ll be able to tell people about the story behind the pull tabs on their soda cans.
Did you know that the woman who invented flat-bottomed paper grocery bags had to fight for her right to the patent when a man tried to steal it? She became the first woman to win a patent lawsuit.
Did you know that Earl Tupper invented Tupperware, but Brownie Wise made it sell? In fact, she was so successful that she became the face of the product. This greatly angered Mr. Tupper, so he fired her, sold the company, and purchased an island where he lived for the rest of his life.
Did you know that postcards were the results of an elaborate prank?
Did you know that roller skates were first invented in 1760 when John Joseph Merlin, a prolific inventor, built a pair so he could show off at a masquerade?
Genre: Non-fiction graphic novel
Setting: All over the world, throughout different times
Is this good for a book club? Only if the book club is interested in discussing previously unknown facts regarding everyday things.
How long is the book? 206 pages
Objectionable content? Barely. There are some references to bathing, bras, excrement, and violence, but there is nothing explicit. There are some illustrations of women wearing sports bras.
Can children read this? The humor and information are enjoyable for all ages, as long as they have a good vocabulary.
Who would like this? Anyone with a good sense of humor and a good appreciation for learning about how everyday objects were created.
Reviewed by Kaitlin https://cheshirelibraryblog.com/autho...
Did you know that the woman who invented flat-bottomed paper grocery bags had to fight for her right to the patent when a man tried to steal it? She became the first woman to win a patent lawsuit.
Did you know that Earl Tupper invented Tupperware, but Brownie Wise made it sell? In fact, she was so successful that she became the face of the product. This greatly angered Mr. Tupper, so he fired her, sold the company, and purchased an island where he lived for the rest of his life.
Did you know that postcards were the results of an elaborate prank?
Did you know that roller skates were first invented in 1760 when John Joseph Merlin, a prolific inventor, built a pair so he could show off at a masquerade?
Genre: Non-fiction graphic novel
Setting: All over the world, throughout different times
Is this good for a book club? Only if the book club is interested in discussing previously unknown facts regarding everyday things.
How long is the book? 206 pages
Objectionable content? Barely. There are some references to bathing, bras, excrement, and violence, but there is nothing explicit. There are some illustrations of women wearing sports bras.
Can children read this? The humor and information are enjoyable for all ages, as long as they have a good vocabulary.
Who would like this? Anyone with a good sense of humor and a good appreciation for learning about how everyday objects were created.
Reviewed by Kaitlin https://cheshirelibraryblog.com/autho...
February 16, 2022
I've had this book for years and finally got around to reading it. Loved it! It's hilarious and extremely informative. Very funny comics about the origin of commonplace items like traffic lights, bicycles, barbed wire, stamps, toothbrushes, and so forth. How they were discovered or invented, including the *uncredited* people (often women or POC) who originally did the work and have gone unsung. The book is divided into sections (The Office, The Bathroom, The Kitchen, etc) to organize the objects. I was chuckling all throughout at the author/illlustrator's humor--a lot of breaking of the fourth wall to have a character comment on a product ("Have you noticed how we all go bonkers for anything our royal family does?" about TEA being adopted after the king started drinking it), or a bunch of people forming a Failed Inventors Club for failing to patent and profit from their own inventions. They also often acknowledge the racism or misogyny that prevented an inventor's success. (The book is very progressive in admitting the bitter truths of history.) Also funny is when the author is a character in his own comics, drawing himself hard at work ("because everybody wants more paperclip stories", or, "Probably needs more vacuum cleaner jokes") and also slipping in a comment about what a raw deal women of the time got, etc. The bibliography is extensive, showing his research; he indicates when he directly quotes someone instead of the fictionalized (and funny) dialogue. I also appreciated that it has numbered pages and an index, so you can refer to particular topics when you want to refresh your knowledge, as I've already done a couple of times since reading it...I'm such a nerd... Did I mention that the artwork is phenomenal? I love this style of ink drawings, super realistic but comical. *Chef's kiss.*
November 15, 2022
In this eminently browsable and light-hearted history of items we use in our everyday lives (toothbrushes, toothpicks, bicycles, sport bras, ramen, paper bags, traffic lights, and streetlights and more), Andy Warner provides facts and context for the invention or reinvention of items we probably have not thought about but should have. In just a few pages for each item, we learn about inventors or rediscoverers, why the item had such an impact on it’s time, often the role of women and nonwhites in developing some of the items and the impact on their lives. The brief histories are told with humor and clever interjected asides from the author/illustrator. Some items we take credit for were in use hundreds of years before in other cultures.
Inventions are grouped into areas like the bathroom, kitchen, office, and the bar. Each item’s history is followed by even briefer histories (aka facts in single panel) of related information. This very entertaining and informative history of our everyday lives is suitable for a wide range of readers and trivia buffs. Highly recommended.
Readalikes:
Steven Johnson – Wonderland; Christopher Lloyd – The Story of the World in 100 Species; Gideon Defoe – An Atlas of Extinct Countries; Tom Phillips – Humans: A Brief History of How we F***ed It All Up; Kathryn Petras – A History of the World Through Body Parts; Ryan North – How to Invent Everything; Ian Sansom – Paper:An Elegy; Ian Mortimer – Millennium: From Religion to Revolution: How Civilization Has Changed Over a Thousand Years; Neil MacGregor – A History of the World in 100 Objects.
Pace: Fast-paced
Writing style: Engaging
Illustration: Black & White; Cartoon style
Tone: Irreverent; Informative
Index; Bibliography
Inventions are grouped into areas like the bathroom, kitchen, office, and the bar. Each item’s history is followed by even briefer histories (aka facts in single panel) of related information. This very entertaining and informative history of our everyday lives is suitable for a wide range of readers and trivia buffs. Highly recommended.
Readalikes:
Steven Johnson – Wonderland; Christopher Lloyd – The Story of the World in 100 Species; Gideon Defoe – An Atlas of Extinct Countries; Tom Phillips – Humans: A Brief History of How we F***ed It All Up; Kathryn Petras – A History of the World Through Body Parts; Ryan North – How to Invent Everything; Ian Sansom – Paper:An Elegy; Ian Mortimer – Millennium: From Religion to Revolution: How Civilization Has Changed Over a Thousand Years; Neil MacGregor – A History of the World in 100 Objects.
Pace: Fast-paced
Writing style: Engaging
Illustration: Black & White; Cartoon style
Tone: Irreverent; Informative
Index; Bibliography
September 3, 2023
This is one of the best comics I've read in years. Warner does a superb job telling a constellation of fascinating stories, and he keeps them all to under four pages. They are punctuated with "Briefer Histories", with extra tidbits that didn't fit well into the main stories.
Warner wisely chose to side-step the temptation to tell entire histories, instead focusing on particular moments in an object's trajectory. At times this involves the genesis of the thing (as in velcro), but mostly we follow an evolutionary step (as when billiard balls went from elephant tusks to .. well, celluloid didn't have the right bounce, so its inventors didn't win the prize money, and "Bakelite" was later used as an ivory substitute). Elsewhere, we see someone invent something, only to learn that it had been independently invented elsewhere earlier (as with paper clips). The tales are pulled from all over the world, providing an excellent balance of inventors' racial backgrounds, women alongside men — usually screwed over somehow by sexist jerks.
The art is fun without being simplistic, and the facial expressions add volumes. (The cover is a perfect example.) The maps are great, and we get plenty of close-ups, both people and objects. Layouts are clean and the attention to detail is sublime.
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. Huge thumbs-up.
Warner wisely chose to side-step the temptation to tell entire histories, instead focusing on particular moments in an object's trajectory. At times this involves the genesis of the thing (as in velcro), but mostly we follow an evolutionary step (as when billiard balls went from elephant tusks to .. well, celluloid didn't have the right bounce, so its inventors didn't win the prize money, and "Bakelite" was later used as an ivory substitute). Elsewhere, we see someone invent something, only to learn that it had been independently invented elsewhere earlier (as with paper clips). The tales are pulled from all over the world, providing an excellent balance of inventors' racial backgrounds, women alongside men — usually screwed over somehow by sexist jerks.
The art is fun without being simplistic, and the facial expressions add volumes. (The cover is a perfect example.) The maps are great, and we get plenty of close-ups, both people and objects. Layouts are clean and the attention to detail is sublime.
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. Huge thumbs-up.
January 3, 2021
This was fascinating, hilarious, and at times thought provoking. Highly recommended!
I read it in a single day back in June, immediately recommended it to a bunch of people, and avoided writing the review because I needed to update the page numbers on the book page to make my brain happy but I'd loaned out the book and couldn't remember how many pages it has. Now that this has been remedied, I can move on with my life (haha!)
I picked up this book expecting it to be a mostly brainless, funny, quick, read that I could maybe learn some random trivia from. I was right on all counts except the first. This book was surprisingly thought provoking and had some dark humor. It brought out many cases where credit may have been incorrectly or unfairly assigned, and cases of women and people of color being marginalized, and cases of things happening in the past that would definitely be frowned upon by today's standards (and some people probably knew better at the time, also).
If you like random trivia, grab a copy of this for sure!
I read it in a single day back in June, immediately recommended it to a bunch of people, and avoided writing the review because I needed to update the page numbers on the book page to make my brain happy but I'd loaned out the book and couldn't remember how many pages it has. Now that this has been remedied, I can move on with my life (haha!)
I picked up this book expecting it to be a mostly brainless, funny, quick, read that I could maybe learn some random trivia from. I was right on all counts except the first. This book was surprisingly thought provoking and had some dark humor. It brought out many cases where credit may have been incorrectly or unfairly assigned, and cases of women and people of color being marginalized, and cases of things happening in the past that would definitely be frowned upon by today's standards (and some people probably knew better at the time, also).
If you like random trivia, grab a copy of this for sure!
November 20, 2021
These aren't just histories of how and who invented various everyday objects, but also who most successfully marketed them, and other interesting shenanigans from the past about them. Some of these I knew, as they have recent picture books about them, others were new to me. I liked that the stories weren't just about white men, but also people like CJ Walker, the 1st black female millionaire, or Amanda Jones, the white inventor of canned fruit, or Garrett Morgan, the black inventor of the traffic light. Some stories didn't center on one person (like the nefarious actions of the British to deliberately get the Chinese hooked on opium so they could afford to import Chinese tea). Droll humor and occasional shorter panels for side stories. Read this straight through, or pick out what object you want to explore individually in this entertainingly light read.
November 2, 2020
Contrary to the title, some of the histories of the objects Warner includes aren't as straightforward as one might think. Some histories presented are myths and speculation along with some popular misconceptions, though he does make that clear, since no one knows for sure for of the true history of some objects in question.
This book is pretty great for I'd say middle school ages and up, and is pretty great for learning some neat trivia about things you likely had never thought of before. The comedy shines through as also enlightening the material, and the illustrations are clear and easy to follow.
This book is pretty great for I'd say middle school ages and up, and is pretty great for learning some neat trivia about things you likely had never thought of before. The comedy shines through as also enlightening the material, and the illustrations are clear and easy to follow.
September 19, 2021
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of some of the various objects you regularly use, then this book may assuage your curiosity. With humor and wit and clever illustrations, Andy Warner imparts his take on such items as pencils, artificial sweeteners, post-it notes, instant ramen, and my favorite, kitty litter, which began as clay pellets for nesting hens. When he couldn’t sell it for hens or cats, inventor Ed Lowe gave it away, free for the asking, in local stores. It didn’t take along before pet owners were clamoring to buy the stuff, and sales have risen to around $12 billion a year. All these facts and so much more are available in this delightful book.
January 29, 2019
Did you know that Lillian Gilbreth, noted efficiency expert and the mom of the real-life Cheaper by the Dozen family, invented the step (pedal-operated) trash can? Or that the guy who invented Tupperware fired the woman who invented Tupperware parties and then bought himself an island? This book was a wonderful blend of charming, fact-filled stories about the history of everyday objects—some, like silk, probably known to readers already, and some, like the safety pin, not so much. A fun, diverting read in graphic novel form!
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