I should probably add these titles to the Books page as general engineering interest items. I've read the first one but not the others.
Paul
> I got Henry Petroski's name wrong in that last post--here are the books I
> was talking about.
>
> To Engineer Is Human : The Role of Failure in Successful Design
> The moral of this book is that behind every great engineering success is
> a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular) engineering
> failures. Petroski covers many of the best known examples of
> well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action -- the galloping
> Tacoma Narrows Bridge... Read more
>
> The Evolution of Useful Things
> This surprising book may appear to be about the simple things of
> life--forks, paper clips, zippers--but in fact it is a far-flung
> historical adventure on the evolution of common culture. To trace the
> fork's history, Duke University professor of civil engineering Henry
> Petroski travels from... Read more
>
> Remaking the World : Adventures in Engineering
> Engineers, Henry Petroski observes, are sometimes their own worst
> enemies, at least so far as communicating their work to the general
> public is concerned. Some engineers, of course, have been exceptions. One
> of the unlikely heroes of Petroski's Remaking the World, an entertaining
> foray into some of... Read more
>
> Design Paradigms : Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering
> From classical temples to twentieth century towers, engineers have
> learned more about design from failure than from success. By showing how
> errors were introduced and how they might be avoided, this book suggests
> how better design quality and reliability may be achieved.
>
> Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
> Want to invent a new paper clip? A new mode of electronic communication?
> You'll succeed only if you can meet the types of challenges Petroski
> identifies in this lucid and lively book. Readers with no ambitions of
> becoming inventors will still take a keen interest in these case studies
> of engineers... Read more
Received on Sat May 18 20:48:00 2002
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