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Connections
In this bestselling book, James Burke examines the ideas, inventions, and coincidences that have culminated in the major technological advances of today. He untangles the pattern of interconnecting events, the accidents of time, circumstance, and place that gave rise to major inventions of the world. Says Burke, "My purpose is to acquaint the reader with some of the forces that have caused change in the past, looking in particular at eight innovations - the computer, the production line, telecommunications, the airplane, the atomic bomb, plastics, the guided rocket, and television - which may be most influential in structuring our own futures.... Each one of these is part of a family of similar devices, and is the result of a sequence of closely connected events extending from the ancient world until the present day. Each has enormous potential for humankind's benefit - or destruction."
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
James Burke
22 books272 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James Burke is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour.
James Burke is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
December 4, 2013
The world seems to be infinitely complicated and quite frankly totally beyond the comprehension of any of us. As science progresses one would need to live a dozen lifetimes and would still not be able to understand all of the processes and theories that are used daily to create the world we inhabit.
You might think it is hard to program your DVD Recorder (I almost said VCR, but who has one of those nowadays?) but what if you had to build a television set from scratch? What if you had to go back and work on a farm with no petrol and no farming equipment – would you have any idea how to use a plough?
This book, a companion to the television series was in The Book Grocer and I couldn’t have been more delighted to have gotten it. I’ve liked James Burke ever since seeing his The Day the Universe Changed, but this was on TV before that and if anything it is a better series.
We like to think that it is the great men who make the remarkable discoveries that cause the great technological leaps forward. Burke is the best cure for this kind of thinking. He shows that really the world of knowledge is more like a huge jigsaw puzzle and it is only when all of the pieces are in place that you can start to see the picture. He shows that one invention doesn’t quite lead to the next invention in a straight line – what might be invented so as to spray perfume might just get used next to make a carburettor. As you see, hardly a straight line.
Newton once said that if he had seen further it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants – okay, so he was saying that so as to annoy one of his rivals who was particularly short – but all the same, the idea was right, even if the intent was a bit nasty. To Burke it is only within interconnections and relationships that the world makes any sense at all. The last part of this work is still as relevant today as it was in 1979. What are we to do about the increasing complexity and speed of technological advance? How dangerous and frightening is it that we simply don’t know or don’t understand even the basics of how all the bits that make up our world fit together? Is there a way to stop or should we happily hand over control of the world to the bureaucrats who ‘know best’?
Because that is the other thing Burke shows, that every great step forward initially looked, well, a bit daft when it was first invented.
Powerful, thought-provoking and exciting – God, if television was more like this I would go back to watching it. The book has wonderful illustrations and more than just what is on the series. If you can get your hands on this it really is worth having. I've just discovered that two further series of this were made - i'm looking forward to seeing them.
You might think it is hard to program your DVD Recorder (I almost said VCR, but who has one of those nowadays?) but what if you had to build a television set from scratch? What if you had to go back and work on a farm with no petrol and no farming equipment – would you have any idea how to use a plough?
This book, a companion to the television series was in The Book Grocer and I couldn’t have been more delighted to have gotten it. I’ve liked James Burke ever since seeing his The Day the Universe Changed, but this was on TV before that and if anything it is a better series.
We like to think that it is the great men who make the remarkable discoveries that cause the great technological leaps forward. Burke is the best cure for this kind of thinking. He shows that really the world of knowledge is more like a huge jigsaw puzzle and it is only when all of the pieces are in place that you can start to see the picture. He shows that one invention doesn’t quite lead to the next invention in a straight line – what might be invented so as to spray perfume might just get used next to make a carburettor. As you see, hardly a straight line.
Newton once said that if he had seen further it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants – okay, so he was saying that so as to annoy one of his rivals who was particularly short – but all the same, the idea was right, even if the intent was a bit nasty. To Burke it is only within interconnections and relationships that the world makes any sense at all. The last part of this work is still as relevant today as it was in 1979. What are we to do about the increasing complexity and speed of technological advance? How dangerous and frightening is it that we simply don’t know or don’t understand even the basics of how all the bits that make up our world fit together? Is there a way to stop or should we happily hand over control of the world to the bureaucrats who ‘know best’?
Because that is the other thing Burke shows, that every great step forward initially looked, well, a bit daft when it was first invented.
Powerful, thought-provoking and exciting – God, if television was more like this I would go back to watching it. The book has wonderful illustrations and more than just what is on the series. If you can get your hands on this it really is worth having. I've just discovered that two further series of this were made - i'm looking forward to seeing them.
November 15, 2018
This book is a very vast overview of the history of science and technology. At the core, though, is the author's philosophy that scientific progress is made not in giant quantum leaps, but by a fine network of interconnected incremental breakthroughs that lead to each other in unexpected ways. What's interesting is that this network spans not only the field of science, but finance, sociology, the arts, and warfare.
He starts with the great blackout of 1965. From there, he discusses the centrality of technology to our lives, starting with the invention of the plough in ancient Egypt, and how the increase in agricultural output and the freeing up of human capital led to other inventions such as granaries, pottery, writing systems, mathematics, astronomy, canal building, stone construction, and so on. The next chapter follows the same theme, moving from gold refining to coinage, to the spice trade, to seafaring, to navigation, to astronomy, to sail technology, to timekeeping, to the magnetic compass, to magnetism and electricity, to meteorology, to the cloud chamber, to radiation, and finally to the atomic bomb. (Being originally published in the 1970s, concern over nuclear winter comes up often in this book.) The book continues in this fashion, covering a huge range of fascinating topics.
Incidentally, this book reminds me of Sid Meier's classic game Civilization which I used to love to play, and the tree of technologies you can make your civilization discover. I was reminded of this recently by an article by Kanishk Tharoor in the magazine Kill Screen. You can find the article here: https://longreads.com/2016/10/26/what....
The historical content is very similar to many of the other history of science books I've read, but of course, James Burke must be given credit for being one of the first to discuss the history of science in this way. Besides, many of the historical facts covered were actually new to me. For example, when he discusses artificial fertilizer, I was familiar with Fritz Haber's process from Thomas Hager's excellent book, Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World But Fueled the Rise of Hitler, but Burke goes beyond that to discuss how Haber and Bosch were superseded by the discovery of calcium cyanamide by Frank and Caro. I didn't know that from Hager's book. Hager does mention it in passing, but the impression I get was that Haber's process was the dominating technology. Anyways, all this goes to show that there is quite a bit of original content in this book. The book's discussion on military technology was also mostly new to me.
The only major weakness of this book is the author's writing style - he seems to say a lot "a man called..." instead of "a man named...", and other such awkward phrases. And he also gave me one of my all-time favourite corporate gobbledygook quotes:
He would make George Orwell proud! (see Politics and the English Language)
Overall, as good as a history of science as any that covers many obscure topics you might not otherwise find elsewhere, held together by a very interesting philosophy of technological innovation and progress.
He starts with the great blackout of 1965. From there, he discusses the centrality of technology to our lives, starting with the invention of the plough in ancient Egypt, and how the increase in agricultural output and the freeing up of human capital led to other inventions such as granaries, pottery, writing systems, mathematics, astronomy, canal building, stone construction, and so on. The next chapter follows the same theme, moving from gold refining to coinage, to the spice trade, to seafaring, to navigation, to astronomy, to sail technology, to timekeeping, to the magnetic compass, to magnetism and electricity, to meteorology, to the cloud chamber, to radiation, and finally to the atomic bomb. (Being originally published in the 1970s, concern over nuclear winter comes up often in this book.) The book continues in this fashion, covering a huge range of fascinating topics.
Incidentally, this book reminds me of Sid Meier's classic game Civilization which I used to love to play, and the tree of technologies you can make your civilization discover. I was reminded of this recently by an article by Kanishk Tharoor in the magazine Kill Screen. You can find the article here: https://longreads.com/2016/10/26/what....
The historical content is very similar to many of the other history of science books I've read, but of course, James Burke must be given credit for being one of the first to discuss the history of science in this way. Besides, many of the historical facts covered were actually new to me. For example, when he discusses artificial fertilizer, I was familiar with Fritz Haber's process from Thomas Hager's excellent book, Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World But Fueled the Rise of Hitler, but Burke goes beyond that to discuss how Haber and Bosch were superseded by the discovery of calcium cyanamide by Frank and Caro. I didn't know that from Hager's book. Hager does mention it in passing, but the impression I get was that Haber's process was the dominating technology. Anyways, all this goes to show that there is quite a bit of original content in this book. The book's discussion on military technology was also mostly new to me.
The only major weakness of this book is the author's writing style - he seems to say a lot "a man called..." instead of "a man named...", and other such awkward phrases. And he also gave me one of my all-time favourite corporate gobbledygook quotes:
“Last but not least, knowledge mapping's contextualizing capability facilitates community-wide consensual innovation assessment.”
He would make George Orwell proud! (see Politics and the English Language)
Overall, as good as a history of science as any that covers many obscure topics you might not otherwise find elsewhere, held together by a very interesting philosophy of technological innovation and progress.
December 26, 2012
Connections was written as a companion series to a documentary series of the same name. I've heard great things about the show, and since I really enjoyed the book, I'll track it down eventually. Burke's basic arguments here is that history is a continuum, not a series of isolated events. And so the atomic bomb owes its existence, in part, to that marvel of military engineering, the stirrup. It is indeed fascinating to trace the development of things that only seem unrelated and turn out to be on a direct line of thought. And actually, I did already know many of these isolated facts, but I'd never connected them as Burke does here.
July 6, 2012
I first became a fan of James Burke back in the 70's when I was in high school and was exposed to a few of his "Connections" documentaries on PBS. But then I promptly forgot all about him until last year when I was paging through my Netflix recommendations and realized the entire series was available. My wife and I watched them all and I was so intrigued that I went ahead and bought this book for my library.
I've long been fascinated with history in general, and inventions in particular so I suppose the material in this book was bound to be of interest. Just as in the TV series, Mr Burke does an amazing job of tying in all of the steps (planned or accidental) that lead from one innovation centuries ago all the way to our modern day conveniences. Tracing the modern ballistic missile back to the development of cannon-balls, or the cell phone to medieval church postal services, or the atomic bomb back to the stirrup, is fascinating stuff. But the author delves deeper than that, into the very nature of how change occurs and how change effects society itself. What most amazes me, I think, is the way so much of what we take for granted today is the result of so many tiny innovations having taken place across the globe, seemingly unrelated to one another. Of course we all know how accidents lead to inventions but to actually follow the path makes for a fun time. It also opens one's eyes to see just how dependent we are on the state of technology today.
In addition, it was extremely helpful to my understanding to see all of the pictures, diagrams, maps, etc that accompany the text in this book. If you've seen the TV show, then many of the topics presented here will be an updated review. But the 'connections' are so numerous and overlapping, that I doubt you'll be bored.
Highly recommended.
I've long been fascinated with history in general, and inventions in particular so I suppose the material in this book was bound to be of interest. Just as in the TV series, Mr Burke does an amazing job of tying in all of the steps (planned or accidental) that lead from one innovation centuries ago all the way to our modern day conveniences. Tracing the modern ballistic missile back to the development of cannon-balls, or the cell phone to medieval church postal services, or the atomic bomb back to the stirrup, is fascinating stuff. But the author delves deeper than that, into the very nature of how change occurs and how change effects society itself. What most amazes me, I think, is the way so much of what we take for granted today is the result of so many tiny innovations having taken place across the globe, seemingly unrelated to one another. Of course we all know how accidents lead to inventions but to actually follow the path makes for a fun time. It also opens one's eyes to see just how dependent we are on the state of technology today.
In addition, it was extremely helpful to my understanding to see all of the pictures, diagrams, maps, etc that accompany the text in this book. If you've seen the TV show, then many of the topics presented here will be an updated review. But the 'connections' are so numerous and overlapping, that I doubt you'll be bored.
Highly recommended.
October 10, 2015
I’ve been burned twice by reading “How We Got to Now” (by Steven Johnson). First, I just didn’t like that book. Second, it led me to this book (by way of some goodreads reviews) which was even worse.
The book is way too sweeping in its historical retellings and the scientific descriptions are densely mind- numbing. Here’s an example which is representative of much of the book:
“On this new loom the threads were stretched horizontally on a frame. Two horizontal boards above the frame each supported two more horizontal boards, with holes in them. Through the holes in one board passed the even-numbered threads of the warp, while the odd-numbered threads passed through holes in the other. These boards were lifted alternately by the use of foot pedals attached to the overhead supporting boards. All the weaver had to do in order to pass the weft thread through the alternate warp threads was to press down on the pedals, and the threads would lift, leaving a gap through which the weft thread could be thrown, attached to a shuttle. On the return journey the alternate threads would be lifted, and so on. The swordbeater for packing the warp now came in the form a permanently attached comb-like device, pulled back towards the weaver whenever necessary.”
There are many illustrations, which are very helpful, but way too much of this type of writing.
The book is way too sweeping in its historical retellings and the scientific descriptions are densely mind- numbing. Here’s an example which is representative of much of the book:
“On this new loom the threads were stretched horizontally on a frame. Two horizontal boards above the frame each supported two more horizontal boards, with holes in them. Through the holes in one board passed the even-numbered threads of the warp, while the odd-numbered threads passed through holes in the other. These boards were lifted alternately by the use of foot pedals attached to the overhead supporting boards. All the weaver had to do in order to pass the weft thread through the alternate warp threads was to press down on the pedals, and the threads would lift, leaving a gap through which the weft thread could be thrown, attached to a shuttle. On the return journey the alternate threads would be lifted, and so on. The swordbeater for packing the warp now came in the form a permanently attached comb-like device, pulled back towards the weaver whenever necessary.”
There are many illustrations, which are very helpful, but way too much of this type of writing.
May 6, 2018
A fascinating and different way of looking at history, tracing how each new advance in technology shaped society, in turn leading to the next advance. For example, how the advent of the stirrup on the battlefield led eventually to the atomic bomb.
My only complaint with this is that he sometimes went too fast and did not do a deep-enough dive into topics, but overall a good read and recommended if you are interested in science and history.
Now I have to go watch the TV series.
My only complaint with this is that he sometimes went too fast and did not do a deep-enough dive into topics, but overall a good read and recommended if you are interested in science and history.
Now I have to go watch the TV series.
May 5, 2020
Many years ago, I watched and was completely fascinated by a PBS series - Connections (and later Connections 2 and Connections 3). The Connections set was going to be among the first purchases once I started buying DVD's for personal use although it was eventually years before I ever found a set for sale and it was restricted to educational institutions and quite pricey.
So when I saw the book, it was like a flashback and I knew I had to get a copy. And it is just as good as I remember. This 2007 edition has a new preface, updating a view that was originally started in 1978 and even updated in 1995. Remarkable how much some things have changed and how some have not.
Anyway, the book. There are only 10 chapters and they are independent of each other.
To give you an idea, I broke down the pattern of Chapter 7: The Long Chain. Starting with jet aircraft and their consequences on travel today.
Back to 16th and 17th century trade in the Baltic and the Dutch monopoly. Dutch trading vessels were built different from their warships, more focused on how much cargo could be stuffed on board and with a lower center of gravity, were far more stable during ocean voyages.
Side trip to Edward Lloyd who created 'insurance' for investors since many ships unfortunately disappeared - yes, the beginning of Lloyd's of London.
Anyway, back to the ships. Russia wanted a warm-water port and attempted to elbow their way into the Baltic Sea which caused a war. Surprise there. England had another source - the American colonies - at least until they declared independence.
English forested land was restricted for Naval use so glass and iron workers needed another fuel for their furnaces which was found in coal and coke.
Coal could provide a tar-like substance under certain circumstances when it was being turned into coke - replacement tar for shipping which changed over to copper lined hulls. So coal-tar was distilled into a multitude of substances - salts used in soaps and a vapor that burned bright and without any odor.
While working on the steam engine, James Watt and partner Matthew Murdock were told of the vapor which could be ignited - the first gas burning lamps. Gaslight spread across the country and changed society. Streets were safer. Factories could work longer hours which means production rose. Evenings were available, even for classes and so literacy spread.
Another coal tar waste was naphtha, which could clean cloth-dying machinery as well as dissolve rubber. Dissolved rubber could be applied to cloth making it waterproof. Making just about anything cloth based waterproof - tents, mattresses, gloves, hoses, printing rollers, and even raincoats.
Supply of rubber couldn't keep up with demand so authorities were encouraged to either grow rubber in the Kew Gardens or get seedlings from South America and create plantations in the Far East. But Kew Gardens was more interested in the cinchona tree in which the bark contained quinine - the only treatment for malaria.
More compounds were being discovered in the sludge-like tar - like coal tar or aniline dyes. Colors previously unavailable or unstable were now vibrant, didn't fade or change color in gaslight. BASF kept the stream of different colors flowing even as other German companies created aspirin, diagnostic tissue stain and other medical discoveries.
A food crisis caused by large increases in population. Grain from the Americas was undercutting the German Junkers rye growers. Rye was exported and the ground was too exhausted to grow wheat without fertilizer which had been coming from Chile whose deposits were nearly exhausted.
Which brings back the last of the coal-tar discoveries dealt with the so-called 'SOHO stink' or the stench coming off the Thames which was the dumping ground for everything. The ammonia was turned into a salt. BASF took the salts, some hydrogen and liquid nitrogen in a pressure vessel to obtain ammonia which mixed with air and passed through a platinum mesh and mixed again with soda, became the same vital fertilizer. Problem solved!
Not quite.
Calcium carbide and water gave off a gas known as acetylene, a competitive source of bright lighting. Unfortunately, electricity had become cheaper so all the calcium carbide was laying about when BASF (yes, them again) used to create an even more potent fertilizer.
Because of a lack of markets for their fertilizers, Germany had to have colonies which means a bigger Navy. That arms race contributed to war breaking out in 1914. Still with the fertilizer, it needed one more chemical step to become gun cotton which was an explosive.
Out of the acetylene debacle came one more development (besides fertilizer and war). Created as a protective coating for aircraft wings and discarded as 'not useful' until a variant was produced called polyvinyl chloride or PVC.
And that's just one chapter. So much information and so intertwined. And that was just the basic as I could make it leaving out names and lots more side trips.
A quote from Isaac Newton "If I have seen further than Others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Perhaps not all these inventions were the actions of giants and their names and discovery is only known by a select few but they laid groundwork and provided direction for those who came after. For every aspect of our lives, dozens of men and women advanced humanity's knowledge. So a tip of the proverbial cap and a thank you for their dedication and their innovations.
2020-089
So when I saw the book, it was like a flashback and I knew I had to get a copy. And it is just as good as I remember. This 2007 edition has a new preface, updating a view that was originally started in 1978 and even updated in 1995. Remarkable how much some things have changed and how some have not.
Anyway, the book. There are only 10 chapters and they are independent of each other.
To give you an idea, I broke down the pattern of Chapter 7: The Long Chain. Starting with jet aircraft and their consequences on travel today.
Back to 16th and 17th century trade in the Baltic and the Dutch monopoly. Dutch trading vessels were built different from their warships, more focused on how much cargo could be stuffed on board and with a lower center of gravity, were far more stable during ocean voyages.
Side trip to Edward Lloyd who created 'insurance' for investors since many ships unfortunately disappeared - yes, the beginning of Lloyd's of London.
Anyway, back to the ships. Russia wanted a warm-water port and attempted to elbow their way into the Baltic Sea which caused a war. Surprise there. England had another source - the American colonies - at least until they declared independence.
English forested land was restricted for Naval use so glass and iron workers needed another fuel for their furnaces which was found in coal and coke.
Coal could provide a tar-like substance under certain circumstances when it was being turned into coke - replacement tar for shipping which changed over to copper lined hulls. So coal-tar was distilled into a multitude of substances - salts used in soaps and a vapor that burned bright and without any odor.
While working on the steam engine, James Watt and partner Matthew Murdock were told of the vapor which could be ignited - the first gas burning lamps. Gaslight spread across the country and changed society. Streets were safer. Factories could work longer hours which means production rose. Evenings were available, even for classes and so literacy spread.
Another coal tar waste was naphtha, which could clean cloth-dying machinery as well as dissolve rubber. Dissolved rubber could be applied to cloth making it waterproof. Making just about anything cloth based waterproof - tents, mattresses, gloves, hoses, printing rollers, and even raincoats.
Supply of rubber couldn't keep up with demand so authorities were encouraged to either grow rubber in the Kew Gardens or get seedlings from South America and create plantations in the Far East. But Kew Gardens was more interested in the cinchona tree in which the bark contained quinine - the only treatment for malaria.
More compounds were being discovered in the sludge-like tar - like coal tar or aniline dyes. Colors previously unavailable or unstable were now vibrant, didn't fade or change color in gaslight. BASF kept the stream of different colors flowing even as other German companies created aspirin, diagnostic tissue stain and other medical discoveries.
A food crisis caused by large increases in population. Grain from the Americas was undercutting the German Junkers rye growers. Rye was exported and the ground was too exhausted to grow wheat without fertilizer which had been coming from Chile whose deposits were nearly exhausted.
Which brings back the last of the coal-tar discoveries dealt with the so-called 'SOHO stink' or the stench coming off the Thames which was the dumping ground for everything. The ammonia was turned into a salt. BASF took the salts, some hydrogen and liquid nitrogen in a pressure vessel to obtain ammonia which mixed with air and passed through a platinum mesh and mixed again with soda, became the same vital fertilizer. Problem solved!
Not quite.
Calcium carbide and water gave off a gas known as acetylene, a competitive source of bright lighting. Unfortunately, electricity had become cheaper so all the calcium carbide was laying about when BASF (yes, them again) used to create an even more potent fertilizer.
Because of a lack of markets for their fertilizers, Germany had to have colonies which means a bigger Navy. That arms race contributed to war breaking out in 1914. Still with the fertilizer, it needed one more chemical step to become gun cotton which was an explosive.
Out of the acetylene debacle came one more development (besides fertilizer and war). Created as a protective coating for aircraft wings and discarded as 'not useful' until a variant was produced called polyvinyl chloride or PVC.
And that's just one chapter. So much information and so intertwined. And that was just the basic as I could make it leaving out names and lots more side trips.
A quote from Isaac Newton "If I have seen further than Others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Perhaps not all these inventions were the actions of giants and their names and discovery is only known by a select few but they laid groundwork and provided direction for those who came after. For every aspect of our lives, dozens of men and women advanced humanity's knowledge. So a tip of the proverbial cap and a thank you for their dedication and their innovations.
2020-089
August 21, 2013
I wish history textbooks were more like this! James Burke introduces Connections with the story of the 1965 Northeast Blackout. He pauses to consider how reliant we have become on technology and how little of it we understand before launching into a history of invention, from the plow to the modern day (well, 1978). If we expect to truly appreciate the convenience of our inventions, he makes a strong case that we should have some idea of how those inventions work and the physical processes that make them possible. Instead of simply listing a series of machines and inventors and dates (even though that information is present), Burke follows threads of invention that flow from one idea to the next in a chain of inspirations, accidents, arms races, and unintended consequences.
Connections is the right title for the book: it made clear the transitional shifts between one period of human history and the next. In my mind, I had held various ages as distinct and had a hard time envisioning how the Dark Ages could yield the Middle Ages, and those the Renaissance, or how that in turn proceeded into the Enlightenment. By focusing on the needs those inventions were made to address, or the happenstance that made one discovery influence an unanticipated field, Burke paints a fascinating and more believable portrait of human progress. He tries to shatter the myth of the isolated genius inventor, instead showing that inventors are regular people who solve problems with the tools and ideas made available to them in their particular climate and time.
There are illustrations throughout, which is completely necessary. The textual descriptions of the various machines and procedures usually left me scratching my head, but in combination with images and diagrams made far more sense.
I look forward to watching the accompanying TV series as well.
Connections is the right title for the book: it made clear the transitional shifts between one period of human history and the next. In my mind, I had held various ages as distinct and had a hard time envisioning how the Dark Ages could yield the Middle Ages, and those the Renaissance, or how that in turn proceeded into the Enlightenment. By focusing on the needs those inventions were made to address, or the happenstance that made one discovery influence an unanticipated field, Burke paints a fascinating and more believable portrait of human progress. He tries to shatter the myth of the isolated genius inventor, instead showing that inventors are regular people who solve problems with the tools and ideas made available to them in their particular climate and time.
There are illustrations throughout, which is completely necessary. The textual descriptions of the various machines and procedures usually left me scratching my head, but in combination with images and diagrams made far more sense.
I look forward to watching the accompanying TV series as well.
June 7, 2020
One of the best books on the history of technology where it shows how little improvements and inventions lead to paradigm shift in technology, way of life and overall progress of mankind. One of the best write ups on evolution of chemical industry in Germany
March 18, 2014
History has the tendency of being seen as static and frozen when we view it from a a later time. What happened is what happened, and nothing else could have happened because, again, at that point, it is set in stone. Once upon a time, however, history could have gone any number of ways, and much of the time, it’s the act of change and transition that help drive history through various eras.
James Burke is one of my favorite historical authors, and I am a big fan of his ideas behind “Connected thought and events”, which makes the case that history is not a series of isolated events, but that events and discoveries coming from previous generations (an even eras) can give rise to new ideas and modes of thinking. In other words, change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, or in the mind of a single solitary genius. Instead it’s the actions and follow-on achievements by a variety of people throughout history that make certain changes in our world possible (from the weaving of silk to the personal computer, or the stirrup to the atomic bomb).
“Connections" is the companion book to the classic BBC series first filmed in the late 70s, with additional series being created up into the 1990s. If you haven’t already seen the Connections series of programs, please do, they are highly entertaining and engaging. The original print edition of the book had been out of print for some time, but I was overjoyed to discover that there is a paperback version as well as a Kindle edition of this book. The kindle version is the one I am basing the review on.
The subtitle of the book and series is "an Alternative View of Change”. rather than serendipitous forces coming together and “eureka” moments of discovery happening, Burke makes the case that, just as today, invention happens often as a market force determines the benefit and necessity of that invention, with adoption and use stemming from the both the practical and cultural needs of the community. from there, refinements and other markets often determine how ideas from one area can impact development of other areas. Disparate examples like finance, accounting, cartography, metallurgy, mechanics, water power and automation are not separate disciplines, but rely heavily on each other and the inter-connectedness of these disciplines over time.
The book starts with an explanation of the Northeastern Blackout of 1965, as a away to draw attention to the fact that we live in a remarkably interdependent world today. We are not only the beneficiaries of technologies gifts, but in many ways, we are also at the mercy of them. Technology is wonderful, until it breaks down. At that point, many of the systems that we rely heavily on, when they stop working, can make our lives not just sub-optimal, but dangerous.
Connections uses examples stretching all the way back to Roman Times and the ensuing “Dark Ages”. Burke contends that they were never “really dark”, and makes the case of communication being enabled through Bishop to Bishop Post to show that many of the institutions defined in Roman times continued on unabated. Life did became much more local when the over-seeing and overarching power of a huge government state had ended. The pace of change and the needs of change were not so paramount on this local scale, and thus, many of the engineering marvels of the Roman Empire were not so much “lost” (aqueducts and large scale paved roads) but that they just weren’t needed on the scale that the Romans used them. Still, even in the localized world of the early Middle Ages, change happened, and changes from one area often led to changes in other areas.
Bottom Line:
This program changed the way I look at the world, and taught me to look at the causal movers as more than just single moments, or single people, but as a continuum that allows ideas to be connected to other ideas. Is Burke’s premise a certainty? No, but he make a very compelling case, and the connections from one era to another are certainly both credible and reasonable. There is a lot of detail thrown at the reader, and many o those details may seem tangential, but he always manages to come back and show how some arcane development in an isolated location, perhaps centuries ago, came to be a key component in out technologically advanced lives, and how it played a part in our current subordination to technology today. Regardless of the facts, figure and pictures (and there are indeed a lot of them), Connections is a wonderful ride. If you are as much of a fan of history as I am, then pretty much anything James Burke has written will prove to be worthwhile. Connections is his grand thesis, and it’s the concept that is most directly tied to him. This book shows very clearly why that is.
James Burke is one of my favorite historical authors, and I am a big fan of his ideas behind “Connected thought and events”, which makes the case that history is not a series of isolated events, but that events and discoveries coming from previous generations (an even eras) can give rise to new ideas and modes of thinking. In other words, change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, or in the mind of a single solitary genius. Instead it’s the actions and follow-on achievements by a variety of people throughout history that make certain changes in our world possible (from the weaving of silk to the personal computer, or the stirrup to the atomic bomb).
“Connections" is the companion book to the classic BBC series first filmed in the late 70s, with additional series being created up into the 1990s. If you haven’t already seen the Connections series of programs, please do, they are highly entertaining and engaging. The original print edition of the book had been out of print for some time, but I was overjoyed to discover that there is a paperback version as well as a Kindle edition of this book. The kindle version is the one I am basing the review on.
The subtitle of the book and series is "an Alternative View of Change”. rather than serendipitous forces coming together and “eureka” moments of discovery happening, Burke makes the case that, just as today, invention happens often as a market force determines the benefit and necessity of that invention, with adoption and use stemming from the both the practical and cultural needs of the community. from there, refinements and other markets often determine how ideas from one area can impact development of other areas. Disparate examples like finance, accounting, cartography, metallurgy, mechanics, water power and automation are not separate disciplines, but rely heavily on each other and the inter-connectedness of these disciplines over time.
The book starts with an explanation of the Northeastern Blackout of 1965, as a away to draw attention to the fact that we live in a remarkably interdependent world today. We are not only the beneficiaries of technologies gifts, but in many ways, we are also at the mercy of them. Technology is wonderful, until it breaks down. At that point, many of the systems that we rely heavily on, when they stop working, can make our lives not just sub-optimal, but dangerous.
Connections uses examples stretching all the way back to Roman Times and the ensuing “Dark Ages”. Burke contends that they were never “really dark”, and makes the case of communication being enabled through Bishop to Bishop Post to show that many of the institutions defined in Roman times continued on unabated. Life did became much more local when the over-seeing and overarching power of a huge government state had ended. The pace of change and the needs of change were not so paramount on this local scale, and thus, many of the engineering marvels of the Roman Empire were not so much “lost” (aqueducts and large scale paved roads) but that they just weren’t needed on the scale that the Romans used them. Still, even in the localized world of the early Middle Ages, change happened, and changes from one area often led to changes in other areas.
Bottom Line:
This program changed the way I look at the world, and taught me to look at the causal movers as more than just single moments, or single people, but as a continuum that allows ideas to be connected to other ideas. Is Burke’s premise a certainty? No, but he make a very compelling case, and the connections from one era to another are certainly both credible and reasonable. There is a lot of detail thrown at the reader, and many o those details may seem tangential, but he always manages to come back and show how some arcane development in an isolated location, perhaps centuries ago, came to be a key component in out technologically advanced lives, and how it played a part in our current subordination to technology today. Regardless of the facts, figure and pictures (and there are indeed a lot of them), Connections is a wonderful ride. If you are as much of a fan of history as I am, then pretty much anything James Burke has written will prove to be worthwhile. Connections is his grand thesis, and it’s the concept that is most directly tied to him. This book shows very clearly why that is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2021
This book is the "companion" to a BBC TV series first broadcast in the '70s or early '80s. I found it interesting enough but intellectually weak. It purports to trace the history of development of various "modern" inventions, such as the jet engine, the computer and television, starting with the invention of agriculture. Where we arrive at the first problem; farming allowed the first division of labour into different, specialised occupations, which in turn, allowed the development of technology. Hunter-gatherers couldn't do this.
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/89...
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/89...
March 25, 2021
I read it hoping for interesting book something similar to "Guns, germs and steel" book. But I was wrong. The book starts with historical mistakes claiming that Egyptian were first to domestic animals, invented agriculture and writing. That is huge mistake as all of this started in Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization. Plus, agriculture started separately in China and India before Egypt.
The book goes down cliff after that. It is'n connected and I lost interest completely in the middle of the book as there is nothing new compared to other books like "Sapiens", "Origins how earth made us" and "Guns germs and steel" which I strongly recommend instead of this book.
The book goes down cliff after that. It is'n connected and I lost interest completely in the middle of the book as there is nothing new compared to other books like "Sapiens", "Origins how earth made us" and "Guns germs and steel" which I strongly recommend instead of this book.
September 13, 2012
James Burke was originally a news reader for the BBC who went on to write a series of very interesting books/TV programmes (heck he is British). I both read and watched the "Connections" and "Connections II" (and there is a third one whose title escapes me) books and shows many years ago.
They are older so the CGI and FX are not what you could see today, but the information and linkages in the material is really very good. Not fiction, but facts and presented in rather unique ways.
I strongly recommend it if you like history, science, and so forth.
They are older so the CGI and FX are not what you could see today, but the information and linkages in the material is really very good. Not fiction, but facts and presented in rather unique ways.
I strongly recommend it if you like history, science, and so forth.
January 31, 2012
Based on the truly genius series shown on PBS in the US. I grew up with this and loved it from the initial showing. I still go back and watch it probably once a year as an adult. The book aligns with the first series and is just as great. In regards to the series, the second 'season' was not nearly as good. The third was better but still not quite as good as the first.
If you liked the TV series, the book is more of the same - brilliant.
If you liked the TV series, the book is more of the same - brilliant.
October 21, 2023
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/james-...
The full tv series from 1978 is found here.
The description of the program is found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecti...
________________________
I am going to reread this book and put random factoids here .... 10/21/2023.
The full tv series from 1978 is found here.
The description of the program is found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecti...
________________________
I am going to reread this book and put random factoids here .... 10/21/2023.
July 15, 2012
If you are like me and want to know how something was invented, why it was invented, who invented it, where it came from etc etc etc this is the book for you. It takes you from the very beginning through current technology (I think the 1987's). there is also a PBS series on this which someday I am hoping to watch. Fascinating.
Read
September 23, 2011Great links from ancient history to ?odern times. Filled with litte kwon facts. The conections made by the author are his own
But intriging none the less. Certain facts certainly speak for themselves.
But intriging none the less. Certain facts certainly speak for themselves.
January 19, 2020
4.5 stars, only because we desperately need an updated version. This book is great, but I'm not really sure how to describe it. It was (to me) I completely novel way to discuss the progress of mankind. I learned a lot and I think about progress in a different way.
July 11, 2015
Quite appreciated this historical science series, print and tv, and am enjoying Steven Johnson use of the same format with his How We Got to Now.
Definitely re-read material.
Definitely re-read material.
Read
May 25, 2021I just remember being disappointed with Burke's sequels, like The Day the Universe Changed, and how he went into limbo.
---
Connections and it sequels
are really the only essential ones
[and some still wonder of the weakness with those sequels, I think that if the illustration is entertaining, and educational, it works. And it's a lot easier for Burke to have fewer mistakes when dealing with technological history, than the philosophical stuff which i quote below)
Connections (1978)
Connections 2 (1994)
Connections 3 (1997)
ReConnections (2004)
---
I don't think many have noticed that
The Real Thing from 1980 about human perception
connects nicely with The Day the Universe Changed in 1985.
'The title comes from the philosophical idea that the universe essentially only exists as one perceives it through what one knows; therefore, if one changes one's perception of the universe with new knowledge, one has essentially changed the universe itself. To illustrate this concept, James Burke tells the various stories of important scientific discoveries and technological advances and how they fundamentally altered how western civilization perceives the world.'
Some feel that Burke's Day the Universe Changed is a simplication of the invention process, and it dimisses how many inventors and inventions fail, and how development of any invention can take quite a number of people, and considerable amount time and effort to get things workable. Let's not even talk about how it might end up a flop on the marketplace.
Does Burke turn invention into a magic trick, where in each case, the magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat?
And does Burke overstate the positives, as well as the actual technology?
And does Burke distort history (and then does it even more with that perception stuff), and cherry pick the implications of technology?
A lot of this is a paraphrase of some of the reviews and reddit discussions i've seen about Burke.
just link everything together!
changes happenned so simply!
things are so easily connected!
one screwed up fact, definately hurts 'The Connection'
I think Deborah Fitzgerald in Isis summed up the Day the Universe Changed nicely:
"there are few ambiguities, false starts, errors of omission, or losers to progress"
So i think even with some flaws, Burke's Connections is worth it, but not much of his other stuff...
and that goes for his books
the scary thing is some reviews of Connections you get creepy comments like:
"history books will soon be rewritten to include these patterns of interconnecting events, inventions and discoveries leading to technological change"
---
And well I think Burke fails when he tries too hard to force history into some 'cohesive whole'.
---
Connections and it sequels
are really the only essential ones
[and some still wonder of the weakness with those sequels, I think that if the illustration is entertaining, and educational, it works. And it's a lot easier for Burke to have fewer mistakes when dealing with technological history, than the philosophical stuff which i quote below)
Connections (1978)
Connections 2 (1994)
Connections 3 (1997)
ReConnections (2004)
---
I don't think many have noticed that
The Real Thing from 1980 about human perception
connects nicely with The Day the Universe Changed in 1985.
'The title comes from the philosophical idea that the universe essentially only exists as one perceives it through what one knows; therefore, if one changes one's perception of the universe with new knowledge, one has essentially changed the universe itself. To illustrate this concept, James Burke tells the various stories of important scientific discoveries and technological advances and how they fundamentally altered how western civilization perceives the world.'
Some feel that Burke's Day the Universe Changed is a simplication of the invention process, and it dimisses how many inventors and inventions fail, and how development of any invention can take quite a number of people, and considerable amount time and effort to get things workable. Let's not even talk about how it might end up a flop on the marketplace.
Does Burke turn invention into a magic trick, where in each case, the magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat?
And does Burke overstate the positives, as well as the actual technology?
And does Burke distort history (and then does it even more with that perception stuff), and cherry pick the implications of technology?
A lot of this is a paraphrase of some of the reviews and reddit discussions i've seen about Burke.
just link everything together!
changes happenned so simply!
things are so easily connected!
one screwed up fact, definately hurts 'The Connection'
I think Deborah Fitzgerald in Isis summed up the Day the Universe Changed nicely:
"there are few ambiguities, false starts, errors of omission, or losers to progress"
So i think even with some flaws, Burke's Connections is worth it, but not much of his other stuff...
and that goes for his books
the scary thing is some reviews of Connections you get creepy comments like:
"history books will soon be rewritten to include these patterns of interconnecting events, inventions and discoveries leading to technological change"
---
And well I think Burke fails when he tries too hard to force history into some 'cohesive whole'.
July 27, 2025
My daughter-in-law was talking to me about The Day the Universe Changed which tickled a memory. Quick search, yep, James Burke. Then I showed her this book from my shelf. I’d watched some of the original series but hadn’t actually read the book (that I’ve had for at least ten years.)
So I pull it out, start reading and then… I get a bunch of ARCs, more ARCs, have a life, more ARCs, finally clear the queue and pick it back up again. And - I notice I started it 17 months ago. No, it doesn’t take that long to read. Anyway…
This is like ADHD chains, except a lot lengthier pauses (for elaboration) in between squirrels. All of his connections are interesting, and I think the real insights are in his last chapter, “In eating the Future”. Burke says on page 287, “Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.” And two pages later, he notes,
“In the heroic treatment, historical change is shown to have been generated by the genius of individuals, conveniently labelled ‘inventors’. In such a treatment, Edison invented the electric light, Bell the telephone, Gutenberg the printing press, Watt the steam banging, [Musk the … yeah, never mind] and so on. But no individual is responsible for producing an invention ex nihilo. The elevation of a single inventor [or privileged billionaire worshipped as one by his cult] to the position of sole creator at best exaggerates his influence over events, and at worst denies the involvement of those humbler members of society without whose work his task might have been impossible.”
Spot on, even including my not-veiled-at-all editorializing. He observes in 1978 something that is worse nearly 50 years later: “Our industries are geared toward high turnover, planned obsolescence, novelty.” And, “The final alternative is that research and development should be directed towards product if more durable goods and less planned obsolescence.” Also spot on.
Good stuff.
Burke notes on page 87 that the Saxon word for aristocrats is “lord”, meaning “loaf giver.” I have been listening to Prof John McWhorter’s Great Courses Myths, Lies, and Half-truths of Language usage and talks about that specific language change (among many others.)
Page 140, “The process by which fundamental change comes about at times has nothing to do with diligence, or careful observation, or economic stimulus, or genius, but happens entirely by accident.” Isaac Asimov said, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka’ but “That’s funny...’”
Page 286, “Edison, it may be said, invented the business of invention, and so introduced the idea of change for the sake of change.”
This is too often a driver.
So I pull it out, start reading and then… I get a bunch of ARCs, more ARCs, have a life, more ARCs, finally clear the queue and pick it back up again. And - I notice I started it 17 months ago. No, it doesn’t take that long to read. Anyway…
This is like ADHD chains, except a lot lengthier pauses (for elaboration) in between squirrels. All of his connections are interesting, and I think the real insights are in his last chapter, “In eating the Future”. Burke says on page 287, “Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.” And two pages later, he notes,
“In the heroic treatment, historical change is shown to have been generated by the genius of individuals, conveniently labelled ‘inventors’. In such a treatment, Edison invented the electric light, Bell the telephone, Gutenberg the printing press, Watt the steam banging, [Musk the … yeah, never mind] and so on. But no individual is responsible for producing an invention ex nihilo. The elevation of a single inventor [or privileged billionaire worshipped as one by his cult] to the position of sole creator at best exaggerates his influence over events, and at worst denies the involvement of those humbler members of society without whose work his task might have been impossible.”
Spot on, even including my not-veiled-at-all editorializing. He observes in 1978 something that is worse nearly 50 years later: “Our industries are geared toward high turnover, planned obsolescence, novelty.” And, “The final alternative is that research and development should be directed towards product if more durable goods and less planned obsolescence.” Also spot on.
Good stuff.
Burke notes on page 87 that the Saxon word for aristocrats is “lord”, meaning “loaf giver.” I have been listening to Prof John McWhorter’s Great Courses Myths, Lies, and Half-truths of Language usage and talks about that specific language change (among many others.)
Page 140, “The process by which fundamental change comes about at times has nothing to do with diligence, or careful observation, or economic stimulus, or genius, but happens entirely by accident.” Isaac Asimov said, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka’ but “That’s funny...’”
Page 286, “Edison, it may be said, invented the business of invention, and so introduced the idea of change for the sake of change.”
This is too often a driver.
January 22, 2020
"Connections is a brilliant examination of the ideas, inventions, and coincidences that have culminated in the major technological achievements of today. The best-selling companion volume to the 'unusually intelligent television series' (Christian Science Monitor) produced by the BBC and broadcast by PBS in autumn 1979, it was conceived in the tradition of the highly popular Civilization and The Ascent of Man.
"Connections masterfully combines popular science and detective work to retrace the steps that led to eight inventions that ushered in the technological age: the computer, the production line, telecommunications, the airplane, the atomic bomb, plastics, the guided rocket, and television.
"James Burke untangles the patter of interconnecting events,m the accidents of time, circumstance, and place that gave rise to these inventions and to a host of related discoveries long the way. He ex0plains, for instance, how the arrival of the cannon led eventually to the development of movies; how the popularity of underwear in the twelfth century led to the invention of the printing press; how the waterwheel evolved into the computer. He links these inventions with one another and with the stream of history, exploring them with dazzling insight."
~~back cover
I adored the television series, so I was looking forward to reading this companion volume. But somehow, it just didn't take my fancy. Perhaps that says as much about the personality of the presenter as it does about the lugubriousness of the book.
"Connections masterfully combines popular science and detective work to retrace the steps that led to eight inventions that ushered in the technological age: the computer, the production line, telecommunications, the airplane, the atomic bomb, plastics, the guided rocket, and television.
"James Burke untangles the patter of interconnecting events,m the accidents of time, circumstance, and place that gave rise to these inventions and to a host of related discoveries long the way. He ex0plains, for instance, how the arrival of the cannon led eventually to the development of movies; how the popularity of underwear in the twelfth century led to the invention of the printing press; how the waterwheel evolved into the computer. He links these inventions with one another and with the stream of history, exploring them with dazzling insight."
~~back cover
I adored the television series, so I was looking forward to reading this companion volume. But somehow, it just didn't take my fancy. Perhaps that says as much about the personality of the presenter as it does about the lugubriousness of the book.
October 12, 2023
James Burke is one of the best science communicators in the world - behind Carl Sagan, David Attenborough and possibly Brian Cox, but in the same rarefied heights. What sets Burke apart from his peers is the breadth of his coverage and the bewildering connections which for the tangled web which this volume weaves. Linking the development of the chimney with the aeroplane (by way of the water pump), or the stirrup with the telephone (by the way of gunpowder), the book weaves its way crazily through the history of technology. At his worst, Burke comes across like a squirrel with ADHD; at his best he is massively compelling reading.
In many ways, the most important work in the book is the epilogue, "Inventing the Future", in which Burke argues why this method of understanding history is crucial, as opposed to learning by theme, period, or subject matter. History doesn't flow smoothly, with an early invention in, say, motor transportation leading by itself to an improvement. The improvements and developments can - and usually do - come from the most unlikely sources. Who would have believed, 200 years ago, that an innovation in controlling weaving patterns would lead to the internet, or would intuitively grasp the connection between a military land survey and theatre lighting?
I've given this 4 stars (it probably rates 4.5) only because it isn't quite as good as the other Burke book I've rated, "The Day the Universe Changed". Still a fascinating read, though.
In many ways, the most important work in the book is the epilogue, "Inventing the Future", in which Burke argues why this method of understanding history is crucial, as opposed to learning by theme, period, or subject matter. History doesn't flow smoothly, with an early invention in, say, motor transportation leading by itself to an improvement. The improvements and developments can - and usually do - come from the most unlikely sources. Who would have believed, 200 years ago, that an innovation in controlling weaving patterns would lead to the internet, or would intuitively grasp the connection between a military land survey and theatre lighting?
I've given this 4 stars (it probably rates 4.5) only because it isn't quite as good as the other Burke book I've rated, "The Day the Universe Changed". Still a fascinating read, though.
January 13, 2018
Usually, you have to read good fiction to have a book convey so subtly its message using information that is itself disposable. This book will alter the way you look at the world by presenting you many stories you won’t remember in a year.
I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school, and it was the first time I was aware a book was changing my world view as I read it. Everything to that point had presented technological development with hindsight, as though it was an intentional straight-line process. The concept that innovation occurred in context, as a product of multiple lines of history that happen to converge at a particular time, often randomly, was revolutionary...at least to my 15-year old brain.
Two ideas continue to show up in my thought process almost daily. Many advances were technologically possible years, sometimes centuries before they occurred is one. The other is that the rate of innovation continues to accelerate, and begs the question, “What will happen when the rate of change exceeds the average persons ability to adapt?”
I just finished rereading it, and it remains captivating and thought-provoking. It’s a unique book, in that although I retained almost none of the factual content, I feel certain I grasped at least some of the most important concepts those facts where used to articulate.
I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school, and it was the first time I was aware a book was changing my world view as I read it. Everything to that point had presented technological development with hindsight, as though it was an intentional straight-line process. The concept that innovation occurred in context, as a product of multiple lines of history that happen to converge at a particular time, often randomly, was revolutionary...at least to my 15-year old brain.
Two ideas continue to show up in my thought process almost daily. Many advances were technologically possible years, sometimes centuries before they occurred is one. The other is that the rate of innovation continues to accelerate, and begs the question, “What will happen when the rate of change exceeds the average persons ability to adapt?”
I just finished rereading it, and it remains captivating and thought-provoking. It’s a unique book, in that although I retained almost none of the factual content, I feel certain I grasped at least some of the most important concepts those facts where used to articulate.
May 18, 2023
What a delightful read! I'd watched James Burke's Connections TV show and enjoyed it, but the book has far greater scope. Beginning with the scratch plow around 3000 BCE, Burke goes through history surveying a variety of inventions.
He discusses how the inventions came about, what problems were trying to be solved, and what effect they had on society and other inventions. He covers fort design and gunpowder. He discusses the research on gasses and how it led to more effective pumps and air conditioning.
Following that, he covers the many inventions, such as the arc light and the lime light, which led to the motion picture projector. He closes by reviewing Edison's lab, which led to the industrial research labs we have today.
I recommend this book for lovers of history, science, and invention.
He discusses how the inventions came about, what problems were trying to be solved, and what effect they had on society and other inventions. He covers fort design and gunpowder. He discusses the research on gasses and how it led to more effective pumps and air conditioning.
Following that, he covers the many inventions, such as the arc light and the lime light, which led to the motion picture projector. He closes by reviewing Edison's lab, which led to the industrial research labs we have today.
I recommend this book for lovers of history, science, and invention.
February 25, 2025
This book is a companion to a British Television Series written and hosted by historian James Burke. There is a Wikipedia article written about the television series. That article summarizes each episode of the series. Anyone interested in knowing about the book and Burke's presentation of human history can read through the Wikipedia article to know about the ideas presented in the book. The television episodes can be watched on YouTube. The video series is much better than the book, so I also recommend that readers watch a few episodes to get an idea of how Mr. Burke puts together the connections of humankind's history.
The television series and the book are an impactful and fascinating global history of humankind. The information as presented is also useful for teachers as well as students of history.
The television series and the book are an impactful and fascinating global history of humankind. The information as presented is also useful for teachers as well as students of history.
February 23, 2020
The original (I think) work of trying to weave the threads of technological change through history – and possibly still the best. In terms of the broad sweep of history and the wedding of social and scientific factors, it's hard to beat.
I don;t know how many of Burke's connections are genuinely novel to him: did anyone before postulate that the Black Death led to the emergence of automation by making machines cheaper than manpower for the first time? Or did he get it from an earlier source? Whichever: for a lot of people (myself included) this book (which I first read over twenty years ago) was our first exposure to these ideas, and indeed to the idea that science and technology are in a two-way conversation with society.
I don;t know how many of Burke's connections are genuinely novel to him: did anyone before postulate that the Black Death led to the emergence of automation by making machines cheaper than manpower for the first time? Or did he get it from an earlier source? Whichever: for a lot of people (myself included) this book (which I first read over twenty years ago) was our first exposure to these ideas, and indeed to the idea that science and technology are in a two-way conversation with society.
November 25, 2021
I admit I mainly skip-read the second half. Given how much the TV series impressed me back in the 80s -I recall specifically the underwear / raise of print connection-, I was expecting a lot from this book.
Alas, I got a strange combination of "I know already all of this" (I read way too much history of science) and "I don't understand this at all", ie the mechanics of most devices, the explanations on electricity (given the years I spent studying electronic engineering, I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt and pencil it down to Burke's explanations)
Maybe the book and I just didn't connect.
Alas, I got a strange combination of "I know already all of this" (I read way too much history of science) and "I don't understand this at all", ie the mechanics of most devices, the explanations on electricity (given the years I spent studying electronic engineering, I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt and pencil it down to Burke's explanations)
Maybe the book and I just didn't connect.
June 13, 2020
I really liked the concept, even if filled with names. The connections were maybe even more subtle than I thought, and sometimes I would have liked to have more meta-narrative to bring it all together. What really hampered my enjoyment is my complete inability to understand how machines work by looking at a picture. So I was lost for many of the mechanical sections. If that is no problem for you, then go ahead :D The writing was accessible in other ways.
***
“Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.”
***
“Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.”
November 25, 2020
History like you've never seen it. Brilliant, fun, sweeping, expansive, riveting, fanciful, did I mention fun? An oldie but goodie, stands up to the test of time. If you like the macro view of history (big history), history as an exploration of man's progression, the history of ideas, technology, and society, as opposed to history as dates and facts, and if you like puzzling over odd mechanical drawings until that "aha!" moment clicks and you understand finally how, for instance, a mechanical clock works, then you will love this little masterpiece.
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