Wondrous Contrivances: Technology at the Threshold

by Merritt Ierley

Incorporating seventy-five vintage photographs and illustrations, as well as excerpts from original instruction manuals, an intriguing study of the history of technology in America explores the evolution and influence of such technological marvels as the telegraph, taypewriter, radio, train, plane, fax, and Internet on American culture. 12,500 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 29, 2002

Reviews

[Carolyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of technology as things started heating up in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A very nice little volume that is not as dry and colorless as the cover makes it seem, and it's thoroughly illustrated throughout. I giggled at the descriptions and illustrations of the bicycle-riding schools that sprang up when that marvelous invention came about.

[Chuck Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so long ago, historically speaking, every conversation was in person. Music was only heard in the presence of the musician. And time was always local (noon in NYC was different from noon in Washington, DC or Philadelphia). Technology - in these cases the telephone, phonograph, and railroads changed that. And the changes continue.

This book was published in 2002, when internet-connected cellphones were just making the scene, and the iPhone had not been introduced, so it’s already a bit antiquated. Nevertheless it describes the development of technology related to transportation, communication and entertainment - how it was received, how it impacted society, and often some interesting side effects. One of those was the introduction of time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific). One would have thought Congress did that, but no, the railroads needed consistent time for their schedules, so they standardized time.

Overall an interesting read, in some ways more so as one considers the developments since it was written and ponders the implications of yet-to-be fully realized technology, such as machine learning, autonomous vehicles, etc.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of my textbooks for a class in Art, Craft and Popular Objects. It was an okay read, easy enough to get through if you could stay awake. It was a bit tedious for me to read and the subject wasn't a problem. I found the class I was taking to be very interesting, this book didn't make the topic as interesting as the class.