History of engineering and technology Books
Cornell University Press Machines as the Measure of Men
Book SynopsisOver the past five centuries, advances in Western understanding of and control over the material world have strongly influenced European responses to non-Western peoples and cultures. In Machines as the Measure of Men, Michael Adas explores the ways in which European perceptions of their scientific and technological superiority shaped their...Trade ReviewProvocative and fascinating.... Adas's deft use of quotation gives the missionaries, travelers, explorers, administrators, and teachers their authentic voices. He provides a wealth of documentation. One learns things worth knowing on every page.... One leaves Machines as the Measure of Men persuaded by its essential analysis: that mastery of nature lay at the heart of Europe's comparison of itself to others. As an intellectual history of French and British assessments of Africa, China, and India, the book is wonderfully informative and nuanced. It will alter the debate about the history of Europe's relationship to the rest of the world. * New York Times Book Review *The terrain of Adas's magnificent book is vast. He starts with the first encounters of intrepid European explorers in the seventeenth century and ends with the seeds of doubt which the Great War in Europe sowed in the western civilizing process.... A vast range of sources are cited. Alternatives to the predominant ideology of western scientific and technological progress are explored, and the potential for diffusion of science and technology into different third world societies is also illuminated. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Remarkable' is an adjective that is most appropriate for this study. Broad in interpretation, rich in detail, and supported by a wealth of information, Michael Adas's work will command the attention of every scholar of modern imperialism, every student of the broad subject of 'technology.'... Adas offers an example of popular history at its very best, which is cultural history exquisitely constructed of detailed research, a well-designed overarching theme, and nicely polished prose.... It will long be pivotal in all discussions that revolve around the technology and culture of modern European expansion. In sum, this is a most compelling, splendid book. * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsPreface to the 2014 EditionIntroductionPart I. Before the Industrial RevolutionChapter 1. First Encounters: Impressions of Material Culture in an Age of ExplorationTechnology—Perceptions of Backwardness: Qualified Praise"Natural Philosophy"—Illiteracy and Faulty CalendarsScientific and Technological Convergence and the First Hierarchies of HumankindChapter 2. The Ascendancy of Science: Shifting Views of Non-Western Peoples in the Era of the EnlightenmentModel of Clay: The Rise and Decline of Sinophilism in Enlightenment ThoughtAncient Glories, Modern Ruins: The Orientalist Discover of Indian LearningAfrican Achievement and the Debate over the Abolition of the Slave TradeScientific Gauges and the Spirit of the TimesPart II. The Age of IndustrializationChapter 3. Global Hegemony and the Rise of Technology as the Main Measure of Human AchievementAfrica: Primitive Tools and the Savage MindIndia: The Retreat of Orienta1ismChina: Despotism and DeclineMateria1 Mastery as a Prerequisite of Civilized LifeChapter 4. Attributes of the Dominant: Scientific and Technological Foundations of the Civilizing MissionPerceptions of Man and Nature as Gauges of Western Uniqueness and SuperiorityThe Machine as CivilizerDisplacement and Revolution: Marx on the Impact of Machines in AsiaTime, Work, and DisciplineSpace, Accuracy, and UniformityWorlds Apart: The Case of Ye Ming-chenChapter 5. The Limits of Diffusion: Science and Technology in the Debate over the African and Asian Capacity for AcculturationThe First Generations of ImproversThe Search for Scientific and Technological Proofs of Racial InequalityQualifying the Civilizing Mission: Racists versus Improvers at the Tum of the CenturyMissing the Main Point: Science and Technology in Nineteenth-Century Racist ThoughtPart III. The Twentieth CenturyChapter 6. The Great War and the Assault on Scientific and Technological Measures of Human WorthThe Specter of Asia IndustrializedTrench Warfare and the Crisis of Western CivilizationChallenges to the Civilizing Mission and the Search for Alternative Measures of Human WorthEpilogue: Modernization Theory and the Revival of the Technological StandardIndex
£26.59
Johns Hopkins University Press Inventing American Broadcasting 18991922 Johns
Book SynopsisDouglas reveals the origins of a corporate media system that today dominates the content and form of American communication.Trade ReviewA superb portrait of the communications revolution that profoundly altered 20th-century life. It will provide fresh insights, and perhaps generate controversy. Washington Post Book World A successful, at times elegant interdisciplinary work. Douglas combines discussions of technology and of business structure, portraits of inventors and amateurs, and analysis of internal navy organization to construct a convincing narrative on the importance of the 'pre-history' of radio. She draws from an impressive range of contemporary newspapers and technical magazines, government and business reports, and personal correspondence. This is a significant contribution to the understanding of American radio. -- Robert B. Horowitz Business History Review Fascinating detail... A far clearer picture than has been previously available. Journal of CommunicationTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Marconi and the America's Cup: The Making of an Inventor-Hero, 18992. Competition over Wireless Technology: The Inventors' Struggles for Technical Distinction, 1899-19033. The Visions and Business Realities of the Inventors, 1899-19054. Wireless Telegraphy in the New navy, 1899-19065. Inventors as Entrepreneurs: Success and Failure in the Wireless Business, 1906-19126. Popular Culture and Populist Technology: The Amateur Operators, 1906-19127. The Titanic Disaster and the First Radio Regulation, 1910-19128. The Rise of Military and Corporate Control, 1912-19199. The Social Construction of American Broadcasting, 1912-1922EpilogueNotesIndex
£26.10
Johns Hopkins University Press Control through Communication
Book SynopsisThe recipient of the Society of American Archivists' Waldo Gifford Leland Prize and the Association for Business Communication's Alpha Kappa Psi Award for Distinguished Publication on Business Communication, Yates discusses how modern managerial systems evolved within the American business system.Trade Review[This book's] timeliness is remarkable. Now that the Western system of responsible (that is, profit-based) production has emerged as the victor over command economies, the secrets of how we did it may replace foreign relations as 'topic A' at conferences, and historians who continue to reject 'material civilization' as unworthy of genuine scholars will do so at their peril. American Historical Review A superb historical analysis of the philosophical and technological forces that led to the development of communication genres and processes in the modern American corporation. Journal of Business CommunicationTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Transformation of Internal Communication1. material Methods and the Fuctions of Internal Communication2. Communication Technology and the Growth of Internal Communication3. Genres of Internal Communication4. The Illinois Central before 1887: Communication for Compliance and Efficiency7. Du Pont's First Century: Conservatism in Family and Firm8. Du Pont, 1902-1920: Radical Change from a New GenerationConclusionNotesA Note on Archival SourcesIndex
£25.20
Johns Hopkins University Press Networks of Power
Book SynopsisAwarded the Dexter Prize by the Society for the History of Technology, this book offers a comparative history of the evolution of modern electric power systems. It described large-scale technological change and demonstrates that technology cannot be understood unless placed in a cultural context.Trade ReviewAn exciting, major contribution to the field of history, for it establishes very convincingly that the growth of... power networks is as intrinsic to and characteristic of modern society as the growth of manorialism was to medieval society. American Historical Review How the West was wired. Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsPreface1. Introduction2. Edison the Hedgehog: Invention and Development3. Edison's System Abroad: Technology Transfer4. Reverse Salients and Critical Problems5. Conflict and Resolution6. Technological Momentum7. Berlin: The Coordination of Technology and Politics8. Chicago: The Dominance of Technology9. London: The Primary of Politics10. California White Coal11. War and Acquired Characteristics12. Planned Systems13. The Culture of Regional Systems14. RWE, PP&L, and NESCO: The
£40.50
Johns Hopkins University Press All the Modern Conveniences
Book SynopsisShe examines advancements in water-supply and waste-management technology, the architectural considerations these amenities entailed, and the scientific approach to sanitation that began to emerge by century's end.Trade Review"An essential perspective on the modern world... The text offers an abundance of detailed information on the development of tubs, showers, toilets, and sinks... Goes well beyond any provious account in delineating how fresh and waste water systems had an impact on domestic life in the mid-nineteenth century. American Studies InternationalTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Domestic Reform and American Household Plumbing, 1840-18702. Water Supply and Waste Disposal for the Convenient House3. Convenience Embodied: Midcentury Plumbing Fixtures4. The End of Convenience: Science, Sanitation, and Professionalism, 1870-18905. The Sanitarians Take Charge: Scientific Plumbing in the American HomeConclusionNotesNote on SourcesIndex
£25.20
Johns Hopkins University Press Between Human and Machine
Book SynopsisAs a new way to conceptualize the history of computing, this book will be of great interest to historians of science, technology, and culture, as well as computer scientists and theorists. Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before CyberneticsTrade Review[Mindell's] account of this complex story of engineering, people, and organizations-academic, industrial and govenment-is well researched and well told. -- Stuart Bennett International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing 2004 While one might think a history of servomechanisms, feedback loops, and fire control systems would be of interest only to a narrow audience, one of David A. Mindell's great achievements in this rich and multilayered book is to show the centrality of control systems-the machines (and humans) that control machines-to the history of computing, the history of technology, and indeed to American history in the twentieth century. -- Ross Bassett American Historical Review In contextualizing the theory of cybernetics, Mindell gives engineering back forgotten parts of its history, and shows how important historical circumstances are to technological change... Mindell is scrupulous about providing this historical context; providing biographical insight into the major players in the history; and giving the reader a good sense of what it was like to be a Bell Labs scientist, or an engineer for Sperry. -- Michele Tepper Networker The book is an eye-opener in understanding who our engineering ancestors were and what they did. -- David L. Elliott IEEE Control Systems Magazine 2003 In an exceptionally insightful and lucid account, Mindell shows how engineering cultures emerging in specific institutional contexts profoundly shaped the design of human-machine systems and defined the human operator as part of a larger technological system. -- Slava Gerovitch IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 2004 This is a good and surprising book. It is good in its articulate survey of dynamic man-machine systems in the period from 1916 to 1948; it is surprising in its convincing revision of our picture of the origins of the computer and cybernetics. -- Larry Owens Technology and Culture 2003 The reader who makes the effort to follow Mindell's argument will be rewarded with a fresh insight into the emergence of the digital computer and all that its invention implies. -- Paul E. Ceruzzi Journal of American History 2004 This book is the first major study by a professional historian and as such should help to draw the attention of historians to the embeddedness of feedback control in 20th century technological systems. -- Stuart Bennett International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing 2004 A joy for both engineers and historians... Mindell's major contribution is to explore in abundant and fascinating detail the intellectual and physical roots of cybernetics in fields as distinct as communications engineering, military fire control, and analog computing. -- Karl D. Stephan IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 2004Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments1. Introduction: A History of Control Systems2. Naval Control Systems: The Bureau of Ordnance and the Ford Instrument Company3. Taming the Beasts of the Machine Age: The Sperry Company4. Opening Black's Box: Bell Labs and the Transmission of Signals5. Artificial Representation of Power Systems: Analog Computing at MIT6. Dress Rehearsal for War: The Four Horsemen and Palomar7. Organizing for War: The Fire Control Divisions of the NDRC8. The Servomechanisms Laboratory and Fire Control for the Masses9. Analog's Finest Hour10. Radar and System Integration at the Radiation Laboratory11. Cybernetics and Ideas of the Digital12. Conclusion: Feedback and Information in 1945Appendix A: Algorithm of the Ford Rangekeeper Mark 1Appendix B: NDRC Section D-2 and Division 7 Contracts for Fire ControlAppendix C: Algorithm of Bell Labs' T-10 DirectorNotesBibliographyIndex
£27.45
Johns Hopkins University Press Hypertext 30 Critical Theory and New Media in an
Book SynopsisThoroughly expanded and updated, this pioneering work continues to be the "ur-textof hypertext studies.Trade ReviewChallenges the reader... Because it invites (and nearly requires) readers to place themselves in more than one position: as a student of communication theory, as a student of computer science, as a student of academic publishing, or as a student of literature. -- Paul Baker Education PR Blog 2007Table of ContentsPreface: Why Hypertext 3.0?Acknowledgments1. Hypertext: An IntroductionHypertextual Derrida, Poststructuralist Nelson?The Definition of Hypertext and Its History as a ConceptVery Active ReadersVannevar Bush and the MemexForms of Linking, Their Uses and LimitationsLinking in Open Hypermedia Systems: Vannevar Bush Walks the WebHypertext without Links?The Place of Hypertext in the History of Information TechnologyInteractive or Ergodic?Baudrillard, Binarity, and the DigitalBooks Are Technology, TooAnalogues to the Gutenberg Revolution2. Hypertext and Critical TheoryTextual OpennessHypertext and IntertextualityHypertext and MultivocalityHypertext and DecenteringHypertext as RhizomeThe Nonlinear Model of the Network in Current Critical TheoryCause or Convergence, Influence or Confluence?3. Reconfiguring the TextReconfiguring the TextThe In MemoriamWebNew Forms of Discursive Prose—Academic Writing and WeblogsProblems with Terminology: What Is the Object We Read, and What Is a Text in Hypertext?Visual Elements in Print TextAnimated TextStretchtextThe Dispersed TextHypertextual Translation of Scribal CultureA Third Convergence: Hypertext and Theories of Scholarly EditingHypertext, Scholarly Annotation, and the Electronic Scholarly EditionHypertext and the Problem of Text StructureArgumentation, Organization, and RhetoricBeginnings in the Open TextEndings in the Open TextBoundaries of the Open TextThe Status of the Text, Status in the TextHypertext and Decentrality: The Philosophical Grounding4. Reconfiguring the AuthorErosion of the SelfHow the Print Author Differs from the Hypertext AuthorVirtual PresenceCollaborative Writing, Collaborative AuthorshipExamples of Collaboration in Hypertext5. Reconfiguring WritingThe Problematic Concept of DisorientationThe Concept of Disorientation in the HumanitiesThe Love of PossibilitiesThe Rhetoric and Stylistics of Writing for E-Space; or, How Should We Write Hypertext?Hypertext as Collage WritingIs This Hypertext Any Good? Or, How Do We Evaluate Quality in Hypermedia?6. Reconfiguring NarrativeApproaches to Hypertext Fiction—Some Opening RemarksHypertext and the Aristotelian Conception of PlotQuasi-Hypertextuality in Print TextsAnswering Aristotle: Hypertext and the Nonlinear PlotPrint Anticipations of Multilinear Narratives in E-SpaceNarrative Beginnings and EndingsMichael Joyce's afternoonStitching Together Narrative, Sexuality, Self: Shelley Jackson's Patchwork GirlQuibbling: A Feminist Rhizome NarrativeStoryworlds and Other Forms of Hypertext NarrativesComputer Games, Hypertext, and NarrativeDigitizing the Movies: Interactive versus Multiplied CinemaIs Hypertext Fiction Possible?7. Reconfiguring Literary EducationThreats and PromisesReconfiguring the InstructorReconfiguring the StudentLearning the Culture of a DisciplineNontraditional Students: Distant Learners and Readers outside Educational InstitutionsThe Effects of Hypermedia in Teaching and LearningReconfiguring Assignments and Methods of EvaluationA Hypertext ExerciseReconceiving Canon and CurriculumCreating the New Discursive WritingFrom Intermedia to the Web—Losses and GainsAnswered Prayers, or the Academic Politics of ResistanceWhat Chance Has Hypertext in Education?Getting the Paradigm RightThe Politics of Hypertext: Who Controls the Text? Can Hypertext Empower Anyone? Does Hypertext Have a Political Logic?The Marginalization of Technology and the Mystification of LiteratureThe Politics of Particular TechnologiesTechnology as ProsthesisThe Political Vision of Hypertext; or, the Message in the MediumHypertext and Postcolonial Literature, Criticism, and TheoryInfotech, Empires, and DecolonizationHypertext as Paradigm for PostcolonialityForms of Postcolonial AmnesiaHypertext as Paradigm inPostcolonial TheoryThe Politics of AccessWho Can Make Links, Who Decides What Is Linked?Slashdot: The Reader as Writer and Editor in a Multiuser WeblogPornography, Gambling, and Law on the Internet—Vulnerability and Invulnerability in E-SpaceAccess to the Text and the Author's Right (Copyright)Is the Hypertextual World of the Internet Anarchy or Big Brother's Realm?NotesBibliographyIndex
£27.45
Johns Hopkins University Press Sound Recording
Book SynopsisMorton, so have business strategies, patent battles, and a host of other factors.Trade ReviewTraces the development of sound technology in the U.S. and Europe from the first demonstration of the phono-autograph in 1857 to the latest MP3 technology. Morton skillfully blends a basic understanding of the physical principles involved in recording sound waves with an interesting chronological account that examines the cultural and economic issues affecting the development of sound technology... Written in an engaging style for general readers and includes references to primary and scholarly resources for readers who want to learn more. ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroductionTimeline1. Birth of Recording2. Out of the Laboratory3. The Commercial Debut of Sound Recording Devices4. The Introduction of Discs5. Recording in the Business World6. The Heyday of the Photograph7. The Talkies8. Records and Radio in the United States9. The Crucial 1930s10. Recording in World War II11. The Postwar Scene12. Hi-Fi13. Revolution in the Studio14. Mobile Sound15. Cassette to Compact Disc16. Record Companies versus the World17. Online Music and the Future of ListeningGlossaryBibliographyIndex
£21.60
Johns Hopkins University Press Blind Landings LowVisibility Operations in
Book SynopsisBy the end of World War II, the very concept of landing blind therefore had disappeared from the trade literature, a victim of human limitations.Trade ReviewCompact but quite readable book; it should interest all airline passengers who wonder how pilots land safely in an environment where they can barely see their hands before their faces. Choice 2007 A key piece in the patchwork of the history of aviation. -- Christian Gelzer Journal of Transport History 2007 Conway's intelligent analysis differentiates this volume from many books on the history of aviation... Blind Landings sheds badly needed light. -- Dominick A. Pisano Isis 2008 Another good illustration from aviation history... of the ways in which politics, ideology, culture, and even nature play constitutive roles in the development and use of technologies. -- Chihyung Jeon Technology and Culture 2008Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Instrumental Faith2. Places to Land Blind3. Radio Blind Flying4. The Promise of Microwaves5. Instrument Landing Goes to War6. The Intrusion of Newcomers7. The Politics of Blind Landing8. TransformationsConclusionNotesIndex
£39.60
Johns Hopkins University Press Ingenium Five Machines That Changed the World
Book SynopsisWhether you dream of making a better mousetrap or launching pumpkins into the stratosphere, Ingenium will tickle your fancy.Trade ReviewDenny has produced a book that is both educational and entertaining. Physics World 2007 This book will give the reader an appreciation of the effectiveness of ancient technology. It will also be a useful reference for engineering and physics instructors. -- Eugene E. Nalence Science Books and Films 2007 User friendly, filled with humor and practicality... not only 'technology wizes' but 'history buffs' and humanists too will enjoy and profit from this book. -- Ilia Stambler European Legacy 2008 The subject matter is extremely well described. -- Brian Gee School Science Review 2008 A well-written, illustrated, and informative book that is readable to all but the mentally lazy. Choice 2008 [ Ingenium] is a good place to learn how they actually worked and how far they could effectively serve the purposes of those who made and used them. -- Alex Keller Technology and Culture 2010Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsTimelineIntroduction1. Bow and Arrow2. Waterwheels and Windmills3. Counterpoise Siege Engines4. Pendulum Clock Anchor Escapement5. Centrifugal Governor6. InventivenessFurther ReadingIndex
£23.85
Johns Hopkins University Press Rewiring the Nation
Book SynopsisTechnology is an entry point for American studies scholars to find ways to think through social and cultural problems. This book presents a collection of essays that provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the ways scholars of culture use the study of technology to examine the flows, conflicts, tensions, and hazards of American culture.
£20.42
Johns Hopkins University Press Manufacturing Revolution
Book SynopsisBased upon extensive research in both manuscript and printed sources from the period between 1760 and 1830, this book will be of interest to historians of the early republic and economic historians as well as to students of technology, business, and industry.Trade ReviewA short review cannot do justice to everything that Peskin has crammed into a book that should prove of interest to business, cultural, economic, and social historians. Historian 2006 An exceptional study of the actors, events, and especially the ideas that laid the groundwork for industrialization in the early American republic. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 2006 Well-structured and clearly written. History of Education Quarterly 2004 Peskin argues that historians have focused too much attention on the process of the Industrial Revolution without properly considering the men who actually convinced the rest of society to go along for the ride. History: Reviews of New Books 2004 Manufacturing Revolution is an important work that greatly enhances understanding of the events that led to the Industrial Revolution, and scholars with interests ranging from the effects of the American Revolution to the economy of the early republic will profit much by reading it. Enterprise and Society 2004 This book offers strong support for interpreting the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as setting a solid foundation for American manufacturing. Peskin provides valuable documentation that this period witnessed ferment in the debate and promotion of manufacturing. EH.Net 2004 Peskin examines the intellectual foundations of economic growth in the early Republic. Choice 2004Table of ContentsSeries Editor's ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Revolutionary Era1. The British Economic System2. Manufacturing and Revolution3. Lurching toward Economic IndependencePart II: The Critical Period4. Mechanic Protectionism5. Manufacturing Societies6. Agricultural SocietiesPart III: Toward Industrialization7. Redefining Manufacturing8. Promoting Manufacturing in the New Century9. Political Parties and Manufactures10. Harmony and Discord in the "Era of Good Feelings"EpilogueNotesEssay on SourcesIndex
£22.50
Johns Hopkins University Press Television The Life Story of a Technology
Book SynopsisBased on the latest research, this crisply written, sometimes provocative survey includes a glossary, timeline, and bibliography for further reading.Trade ReviewTracing the history of television from early inception through golden age, to the current world of flat screens, cable, and satellites, Magoun comprehensively overviews a medium now in everyone's memory... Readers are left with an appreciation for an old friend that they enjoyed having around, as well as recognition of the role that television has played in making entertainment and communication what it is today. Choice In this history of television, Magoun not only explains the development and basic workings of this technology but also the processes, personalities, and business decisions involved, and TV's impact on American values. In a 'life cycle' framework, he traces TV from its protracted birth through the death of cathode tube TVs and resurrection in digital form. The author addresses issues relating to the paternity of inventions, government regulation, and changing broadcast standards. Scitech Book News A handful of black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, and an index enhance this highly readable account, sure to fascinate lay readers and scholars alike. Midwest Book Review 2009 Offers anyone with an interest in the story behind television's history an interesting and highly readable view of many of the people, corporate entities, and government agencies crucial to its invention and its subsequent technological development. -- Patricia L. Dooley Journalism History 2010Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionTimeline1. Conception, 1873–19112. Birth of a Technology; or Invention, 1912–19283. Parenthood: Television's Innovation, 1928–19414. Working for a Living: Television's Commercialization, 1941–19665. Children of the Revolution, 1947–19876. The Digital Generation and the End of TelevisionGlossaryBibliographyIndex
£23.85
Johns Hopkins University Press Reconfiguring the World Nature God and Human
Book SynopsisUltimately, she shows how a few gifted students of nature changed the way we see ourselves and the universe.Trade ReviewAn invaluable contribution to the literature of the history and philosophy of science, presented with clarity, intelligence, and economy... Highly recommended. Choice 2011Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Western View of the World before 15002. Winds of Change: Searching for a New Philosophy of Nature3. Observing the Heavens: From Aristotelian Cosmology to the Uniformity of Nature4. Creating a New Philosophy of Nature5. Shifting Boundaries: From Mixed Mathematics to Mathematical Physics6. Exploring the Properties of Matter: Alchemy and Chemistry7. Studying Life: Plants, Animals, and Humans8. Rethinking the Universe: Newton on Gravity and GodEpilogueSuggested Further ReadingIndex
£45.50
Johns Hopkins University Press Reconfiguring the World Nature God and Human
Book SynopsisUltimately, she shows how a few gifted students of nature changed the way we see ourselves and the universe.Trade ReviewAn invaluable contribution to the literature of the history and philosophy of science, presented with clarity, intelligence, and economy... Highly recommended. Choice 2011Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Western View of the World before 15002. Winds of Change: Searching for a New Philosophy of Nature3. Observing the Heavens: From Aristotelian Cosmology to the Uniformity of Nature4. Creating a New Philosophy of Nature5. Shifting Boundaries: From Mixed Mathematics to Mathematical Physics6. Exploring the Properties of Matter: Alchemy and Chemistry7. Studying Life: Plants, Animals, and Humans8. Rethinking the Universe: Newton on Gravity and GodEpilogueSuggested Further ReadingIndex
£22.50
Johns Hopkins University Press Midnight Ride Industrial Dawn Paul Revere and the
Book SynopsisOriginal and well told, this account argues that the greatest patriotic contribution of America's Midnight Rider was his work in helping the nation develop from a craft to an industrial economy.Trade ReviewMartello succeeds superbly in using Paul Revere as a lens to view the social, economic, and technological landscape of early America... Revere's adept transitions are matched only by Martello's adept retelling of them. Highly recommended. Choice 2011 Revere sensed that he was living in a time of unprecedented opportunity, and unlike some contemporaries who returned to small shops, he moved quickly from artisan to manager, from craftsman to industrialist. As Martello demonstrates in this fascinating study, the transition was not easy. Times Literary Supplement 2011 Martello's account of Revere's life is a welcome addition to the literature on American industry and on the founding fathers. -- Lawrence A. Peskin Common-Place 2011Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Artisan, Silversmith, and Businessman (1754–1775) Chapter 2. Patriot, Soldier, and Handyman of the Revolution (1775–1783)Chapter 3. Mercantile Ambitions and a New Look at Silver (1783–1789)Chapter 4. To Run a "Furnass": The Iron Years (1788–1792)Chapter 5. Bells, Cannon, and Malleable Copper (1792–1801)Chapter 6. Paul Revere's Last Ride: The Road to Rolling Copper (1798–1801) Chapter 7. The Onset of Industrial Capitalism: Managerial and Labor Adaptations (1802–1811)Chapter 8. Becoming Industrial: Technological Innovations and Environmental Implications (1802–1811) Conclusion Acknowledgments Appendixes1. Major Events in the Narratives of Paul Revere and America 2. Four Proto-industrial Production Factors and Major Linkages 3. Prevalent Craft and Industrial Practices in the Proto-industrial Period 4. Selected Revere Engravings 5. Furnace Startup Expenses for 1787–1788 6. April 1796 Payments to Faxon 7. Revere's Second Letter to Benjamin Stoddert, February 26, 1800 8. Employee Salaries, 1802–1806 9. Typical Stages in the Growth of a Large Technological System Notes Index
£52.50
Stanford University Press The Personal Interface Douglas Engelbart the
Book SynopsisThis tells the story of Douglas Engelbart's revolutionary vision, reaching beyond conventional histories of Silicon Valley to probe the ideology that shaped some of the basic ingredients of contemporary life.Trade Review"Bootstrapping fills an important gap in the story of personal computing." -- Technology and Culture"Thierry Bardini particularly explores the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of Engelbart's book. . . . Indeed, the breadth of Engelbart's contributions and influence, documented in meticulous detail, are astonishing. . . ." -- Enterprise & Society"Anyone who has worked in computer-human interface or in and around Silicon Valley institutions such as SRI, Xerox PARC, IBM Almaden Research Center or Apple Computer will certainly relish this book. Moreover, those in a private, government or non-profit office filled with the fruits of contemporary productivity technology will appreciate Bardini's tales of politics, committees, funding and grants, demos to funders and skeptical management, and all those fascinating projects at PARC and SRI." -- Leonardo ReviewsTable of ContentsPart I. Premises: 1. A problematic picture of the personal interface 2. Social change and networks Part II. The Prehistory of the Laboratory: 3. Douglas C. Engelbart and the ARPA community 4. The augmentation framework and the relativist tradition Part III. Kinaesthetics and the Hypertextual Piano: Feeling the Code: 5. From physico-motor skills to kinaesthetic communication 6. The mouse is more than a pointing device Part IV. The Social Construction of the Personal Interface: 7. The beginnings of the hypermedium 8. The genesis of the graphic interface 9. The (inter)personal interface Part V. Coda: 10. When hand and memory meet again.
£25.19
Stanford University Press New Views on R. Buckminster Fuller
Book SynopsisIn this book, leading scholars in architecture, design, history, and communications discuss the work of R. Buckminster Fuller in the context of the larger social and cultural patterns of the twentieth century.Trade Review"This book is to be recommended for its scholarship and the manner in which it situates Fuller in terms of past and present and cultural history."Barbara Opar, Art Libraries Society of North America."Buckminster Fuller was one of the 20th Century's greatest philosophers regarding human intention, anticipation and design. His ideas wereboundless in scope and fearless in aspiration and have affected human thinking from the level of the molecule to the galaxies. This collection offers new glimpses into his universe of interests." —William McDonough, Fellow, American Institute of Architects
£77.35
Stanford University Press New Views on R. Buckminster Fuller
Book SynopsisIn this book, leading scholars in architecture, design, history, and communications discuss the work of R. Buckminster Fuller in the context of the larger social and cultural patterns of the twentieth century.Trade Review"This book is to be recommended for its scholarship and the manner in which it situates Fuller in terms of past and present and cultural history."Barbara Opar, Art Libraries Society of North America."Buckminster Fuller was one of the 20th Century's greatest philosophers regarding human intention, anticipation and design. His ideas wereboundless in scope and fearless in aspiration and have affected human thinking from the level of the molecule to the galaxies. This collection offers new glimpses into his universe of interests." —William McDonough, Fellow, American Institute of Architects
£19.79
Stanford University Press Current Flow
Book SynopsisThis book discusses the history of electrification in British-ruled Palestine in the 1920s to show the crucial role that electrification played in assembling a material infrastructure of ethno-national separation in Palestine, long before "political partition plans" had ever been envisioned.Trade Review"Current Flow seeks to provide a historical sociology-based perspective on the interaction between the technical aspects of constructing an electrical power grid with the political and social implications of such an effort. In a book useful for scholars studying ethno-national relations and modernization, Shamir's narrative highlights the unique role electrification plays in transforming social society." -- Middle East Journal"Ronen Shamir's new book is a timely and thoughtful study of the electrification of Palestine in the early twentieth century. Current Flow: The Electrification of Palestine makes use of Actor-Network Theory as a methodology to trace the processes involved in constructing a powerhouse and assembling an electric grid in 1920s Palestine. The book brilliantly shows how electrification 'makes politics' rather than just transmitting it . . . Whether you're interested the history of Palestine or the historical sociology of science, this is a fascinating, inspiring study well worth reading!" -- Carla Nappi * New Books in Science, Technology, and Society *"A tour de force, exciting, and daring, Current Flow reveals how social distinctions reside in and on an electrical grid: enabling (or disabling) social formations, separating public and private, and ranking groups and classes. As a visible material assembly whose currents connect sketches, maps, and legal contracts to lamps, transformers, and current-meters; entrepreneurs, electricians and engineers to lawyers, officials, and customers, the grid becomes an actor rather than simply an assemblage." -- Susan S. Silbey * Massachusetts Institute of Technology *"In this strikingly original book, Ronen Shamir traces the electrification of 1920s Palestine by way of an expanding grid of wires and poles, technicians and officials, texts and images. How was it that the enterprise designed to connect Arabs and Jews in a single, all-Palestine system, ended up energizing those very ethno-national divides, anticipating more thoroughgoing separations to follow? Shamir's ingenious account of the conundrum suggests a specific sort of understanding: technical processes of this kind, he insists, are themselves intrinsically social, historical. They do not merely transmit politics, they make it." -- Jean Comaroff * Harvard University *
£35.10
MP-FLO Uni Press of Florida Stages to Saturn A Technological History of the ApolloSaturn Launch Vehicles
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£30.56
MP-FLO Uni Press of Florida A History of the Kennedy Space Center
Book SynopsisThis inspirational history of Kennedy SpaceCenter explores man's attempts to conquer the final frontier from Von Braun to the Space Station.
£24.26
Rutgers University Press Mothers and Daughters of Invention Notes for a
Book SynopsisWritten in an engaging and accessible style, this first broadly focused compensatory history of technology not only includes women's contributions but begins the long-overdue task of redefining technology and significant technology and to value these contributions correctly. Stanley traces women's inventions in five vital areas of technology worldwide--agriculture, medicine, reproduction, machines, and computers--from prehistory (or origin) forward, profiling hundreds of women, both famous and obscure. The author does not ignore theory. She contributes a paradigm for male takeovers of technologies originated by women.Trade ReviewAn indispensable reference tool. * Choice *A clearly written volume which the non-academic can easily and enjoyably read. * New Moon Parenting *Invaluable. There is nothing else with as much information between two covers on the market. -- Ruth Schwartz Cowan * President, Society for the History of Technology *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Daughters of Ceres, Songi, and Corn Mother: Women Inventors and Innovators in Agriculture and Related Technology 2. Daughters of Isis, Gula, Hygieia, and Brigit: Women Inventors in Health and Medicine 3. Daughters of Hera, Eileithyia, Prokris, and Teteu Innan: Women Inventors and Innovators in Sex, Fertility, and Anti-Fertility Technology 4. Daughters of Athena, Semiramis, Margaret Knight, and Wei-Feng Ying: Women Inventors of Tools and Machines 5. Daughters of the Enchantress of Numbers and Grandma COBOL: Women Inventors and Innovators in Computers and Related Technology Conclusion Appendixes Bibliography Index
£35.10
Rutgers University Press Poison in the Well Radioactive Waste in the
Book SynopsisTraces the issue of radioactive waste in Western countries from the end of World War II to the blossoming of the environmental movement in the early 1970s. This book looks at the myriad mishaps and subsequent cover-ups that were born out of the dilemma of where to house deadly nuclear materials.Trade Review"Hamblin's examination of radioactive waste dumping in Europe and America is an important and valuable study, particularly for those interested in the role of science, technology, and environment in modern life." -- Ronald Rainger * Professor of History, Texas Tech University *"A fascinating account of the role of health physicists and marine scientists in the international politics and public relations of dumping radioactive waste at sea." -- John Krige * author of American Hegemony and the Postwar Reconstruction of Science in Europe *"Poison in the Well tells how British and American nuclear scientists have handled radioactive wastes since World War II, despite uncertainty about long-term genetic and somatic effects, creating a legacy that will last for thousands of years. Interdisciplinary turf battles, government secrecy, and technological hubris all play a role in this well-constructed narrative." -- Robert W. Seidel * professor of History of Science and Technology, University of Minnesota *"This impressively researched and judiciously argued book challenges readers to think in new ways about what happens when science, politics, and the environment intersect." * American Historical Review *"Hamblin's study is timely and absorbing, discussing an aspect of the history of atomic energy programmes on which very little has been known. Poison in the Well is an incredibly precious expose" * British Journal for the History of Science *"An excellent and balanced book. Hamblin's story is compelling and complex. By avoiding simple conclusions, he provides great insight into Cold War international relations, the dilemmas of going nuclear, the difficulty in determining risk, and the continuing problems we face with untested or newly tested technologies." * Journal of American History *
£31.50
MW - Rutgers University Press Overpotential Fuel Cells Futurism and the Making
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Eisler’s book is more than a succinct history of the fuel cell itself. Just as important, it traces the history of the often utopian ideas behind this technology. This well-written and carefully researched study...helps the reader understand why the fuel cell has yet to fulfill its glittering promise. Overpotential provides a useful review of one technology whose various futures so far have failed to arrive." * Chemical Heritage *"A very fine book. Overpotential unpacks the more complex, and infinitely more interesting, story of the intertwining of technological developments concerning electrical power and the search for new sources of cheap, safe, efficient electricity." * Quest: The History of Spaceflight *"In this extensively researched and detailed book, Eisler provides the 'rest of the story' of fuel cells and fuel cell applications progress in the 20th century. Highly recommended." * Choice *"In Overpotential, Matthew Eisler demonstrates that historians can and should contribute to the energy debate ... A major strength of the book is that it aims to — and largely does — bridge the gap between the fuel cell as history of technology and as present-day engineering and policy challenge." * Technology and Culture * "Joining scholarly analysis with engaging narrative, Eisler exposes the perils of technology policy and reveals how a cult of innovation can trump socially sound energy policy in the United States." -- John M. DeCicco * University of Michigan *"Eisler's historical treatment of the engineering subject matter in Overpotential provides a perspective that is often lacking in the current discourse on fuel cells." -- Frederik Nebeker * author of Dawn of the Electronic Age * "Exaggerated claims made on behalf of new energy conversions are commonly met with uncritical acceptance. Eisler provides a much needed corrective, a well-informed and critical explanation of why fuel cells have not become a miraculous energy source." -- Vaclav Smil * University of Manitoba *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Fuel Cell Futurism1 Device in Search of a Role2 Military Miracle Battery3 Fuel Cells and the Final Frontier4 Dawn of the Commercial Fuel Cell5 Fueling Hydrogen Futurism6 Green Automobile Wars7 Electrochemical MillenniumConclusionNotesIndex
£49.30
MW - Rutgers University Press Down to Earth Satellite Technologies Industries and Cultures New Directions in International Studies
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£105.40
Rutgers University Press Down to Earth Satellite Technologies Industries
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Useful for readers interested in the evolution of media-oriented satellites and the cultures they serve. Recommended." * Choice *"Grounded in fact and garnished with theory, this volume both excites and builds on a renewed appreciation for satellites…a treasurehouse of materials for people who want to figure out the technical colonization of the air!" -- John Durham Peters * author of Speaking into the Air *"Philosophers have looked upward into the starry heavens and been filled with wonder and awe. Down to Earth reverses the gaze, revealing how satellites impinge on so many aspects of our lives. Read it before Skynet goes online." -- James Der Derian * Brown University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionI Concepts and Cartographies1. The Invention of Air Space, Outer Space, and Cyberspace2. Dethroning the View from Above3. The Geostationary Orbit4. “Freedom to Communicate”5. The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System6. Satellites, Oil, and FootprintsII Satellite Mediascapes7. From Satellite to Screen8. Beyond the Terrestrial?9. Crossing Borders10. WorldSpace Satellite Radio and the South African Footprint11. Content vs. DeliveryIII Orbital Matters12. When Satellites Fall13. AFP-731 or The Other Night Sky14. Microsatellites15. Disjecta Membra, the Kármán Line, and the 38th Parallel Contributors Index
£31.50
New York University Press Feeling Mediated A History of Media Technology
Book SynopsisNew technologies, whether text message or telegraph, inevitably raise questions about emotion. This book investigates the context of such concerns, considering both how media technologies intersect with our emotional lives and how our ideas about these intersections influence how we think about and experience emotion and technology themselves.Trade ReviewThis is an important book for thinking about the relationship between science and public culture. Instead of simply looking at media representations of science, it demonstrates so well how the public sphere itself is a sociotechnical assemblage of networked devices, concepts, bodies, measurements, and various audiences. Malin steers a clear course between technological determinism and social constructivism. We think, feel, and act in relationship with our tools, but it is precisely this relationship that matters. In the end, he leaves the reader with a rich picture of mass media as an assemblage whose infrastructure includes the often neglected social technologies of the human sciences. * American Historical Review *A wide mixtureof scholarly disciplines across the last century contribute to Malin's history. They are represented by social scientists, psychologists, media and communications theorists, as well as philosophers. For historians of psychology, Feeling Mediated offers extended commentary on the work of three psychologists who are less frequently acknowledged in the literature. * PsycCritques *[] Malin sharpens his weapons against prevalent narratives of oversimplification, which many times also serve to perpetuate discrimination by class, gender, and race. Nailing the big irony of this trope, Malin also argues how the laboratory instruments measure other new technologies in ways that create a complex feedback loop. * Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly *[B]y locating administrative research in a broad cultural setting, and, in particular, by characterizing it in a novel way as & media physicalism, [Malin]helps to explain how an influential tradition in American communications studies took the form that it did. * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *Indeed one of the great many joys in readingFeeling Mediatedis its clear, breezy writing that is unencumbered by jargon. It is a page-turner, a rarity in academic books, especially those that take up emotion as a focus.Scholars in media and communication and technology history, cultural and American Studies are likely to find this book most interesting. * Journal of Communication *Using a wide range of archival research and several historical examples of technology's relationship with emotion, Malin demonstrates how communication technology changed the way people think about emotion and continues to . . . . Malin also offers audiences a way to understand their own emotional process in relation to new technologies, which makes this book a worthwhile read for anyone who communicates with a 'feeling machine.' * International Journal of Communication *In reconstructing the debates surrounding media physicalism, Malin draws on substantial archival and primary-source research, and brings in as well intelligent discussions of the history of psychology and the philosophy of mind. Ultimately, his critique of media physicalism underscores the necessity of apprehending the historical situatedness of media technologies, showing how race, class, and gender norms were built into various media and the systems set up to measure their impact. * Journal of American History *Malin has written an illuminating study, bringing to our attention areas of research and thinking, some now quite neglected, that are concerned with the complex relationship between media technologies and our emotional lives. * European Journal of Communication *An engaging work on emotion-inducing and sensing technologies, the concerns surrounding them, and their uptake within the early- to mid-20th century scientific community. Replete with fascinating gems that reveal our preoccupation with emotionality and its relationship to communication technologies,Feeling Mediatedis a compelling foray not only into the history of media but also that of media studies. -- Ted Striphas,Indiana UniversityAs modern ideas of communication as transmission emerged, so too did the belief in emotions as forces within the body.BrentonMalinsFeeling Mediatedchronicles these intertwined histories.Malins book juxtaposes the idea of media physicalismthat media have direct effects on audiences emotionsalongside the history of & American cool as a desired emotional state, constantly under threat from too-hot media.Feeling Mediatednot only contributes to the growing cross-fertilization of media studies and affect theory, it also provides a new account of why, for the last two centuries, each generation has made the same claims for the emotional power of emerging media. -- Jonathan Sterne,author of MP3: The Meaning of a FormatTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction J 1. Conflicting Feelings: Technology and Emotions from Colonial America to the New Age of Communication 2. Touching Images: Stereoscopy, Technocracy, and Popular Photographic Physicalism 3. Electrifying Voices: Recording, Radio, and the New Friendly but Formal Speech 4. Projecting Emotions: Motion Pictures, Social Science, and Emotional Self-Control 5. Connecting Centuries: The Legacies of Media Physicalism Conclusion K Notes Index About the Author
£22.79
New York University Press Feeling Mediated A History of Media Technology
Book SynopsisNew technologies, whether text message or telegraph, inevitably raise questions about emotion. This book investigates the context of such concerns, considering both how media technologies intersect with our emotional lives and how our ideas about these intersections influence how we think about and experience emotion and technology themselves.Trade ReviewThis is an important book for thinking about the relationship between science and public culture. Instead of simply looking at media representations of science, it demonstrates so well how the public sphere itself is a sociotechnical assemblage of networked devices, concepts, bodies, measurements, and various audiences. Malin steers a clear course between technological determinism and social constructivism. We think, feel, and act in relationship with our tools, but it is precisely this relationship that matters. In the end, he leaves the reader with a rich picture of mass media as an assemblage whose infrastructure includes the often neglected social technologies of the human sciences. * American Historical Review *A wide mixtureof scholarly disciplines across the last century contribute to Malin's history. They are represented by social scientists, psychologists, media and communications theorists, as well as philosophers. For historians of psychology, Feeling Mediated offers extended commentary on the work of three psychologists who are less frequently acknowledged in the literature. * PsycCritques *[] Malin sharpens his weapons against prevalent narratives of oversimplification, which many times also serve to perpetuate discrimination by class, gender, and race. Nailing the big irony of this trope, Malin also argues how the laboratory instruments measure other new technologies in ways that create a complex feedback loop. * Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly *[B]y locating administrative research in a broad cultural setting, and, in particular, by characterizing it in a novel way as & media physicalism, [Malin]helps to explain how an influential tradition in American communications studies took the form that it did. * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *Indeed one of the great many joys in readingFeeling Mediatedis its clear, breezy writing that is unencumbered by jargon. It is a page-turner, a rarity in academic books, especially those that take up emotion as a focus.Scholars in media and communication and technology history, cultural and American Studies are likely to find this book most interesting. * Journal of Communication *Using a wide range of archival research and several historical examples of technology's relationship with emotion, Malin demonstrates how communication technology changed the way people think about emotion and continues to . . . . Malin also offers audiences a way to understand their own emotional process in relation to new technologies, which makes this book a worthwhile read for anyone who communicates with a 'feeling machine.' * International Journal of Communication *In reconstructing the debates surrounding media physicalism, Malin draws on substantial archival and primary-source research, and brings in as well intelligent discussions of the history of psychology and the philosophy of mind. Ultimately, his critique of media physicalism underscores the necessity of apprehending the historical situatedness of media technologies, showing how race, class, and gender norms were built into various media and the systems set up to measure their impact. * Journal of American History *Malin has written an illuminating study, bringing to our attention areas of research and thinking, some now quite neglected, that are concerned with the complex relationship between media technologies and our emotional lives. * European Journal of Communication *An engaging work on emotion-inducing and sensing technologies, the concerns surrounding them, and their uptake within the early- to mid-20th century scientific community. Replete with fascinating gems that reveal our preoccupation with emotionality and its relationship to communication technologies,Feeling Mediatedis a compelling foray not only into the history of media but also that of media studies. -- Ted Striphas,Indiana UniversityAs modern ideas of communication as transmission emerged, so too did the belief in emotions as forces within the body.BrentonMalinsFeeling Mediatedchronicles these intertwined histories.Malins book juxtaposes the idea of media physicalismthat media have direct effects on audiences emotionsalongside the history of & American cool as a desired emotional state, constantly under threat from too-hot media.Feeling Mediatednot only contributes to the growing cross-fertilization of media studies and affect theory, it also provides a new account of why, for the last two centuries, each generation has made the same claims for the emotional power of emerging media. -- Jonathan Sterne,author of MP3: The Meaning of a FormatTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction J 1. Conflicting Feelings: Technology and Emotions from Colonial America to the New Age of Communication 2. Touching Images: Stereoscopy, Technocracy, and Popular Photographic Physicalism 3. Electrifying Voices: Recording, Radio, and the New Friendly but Formal Speech 4. Projecting Emotions: Motion Pictures, Social Science, and Emotional Self-Control 5. Connecting Centuries: The Legacies of Media Physicalism Conclusion K Notes Index About the Author
£70.30
University of Minnesota Press Scenes of Projection
Book SynopsisTrade Review“In Shadows of Enlightenment, Jill Casid sets herself no less a task than the rethinking of modernity and the formation of the European subject. Concerned with the psychic, affective, and material powers of projection and propelled by queer, feminist, and postcolonial revisions of psychoanalysis, Casid ultimately takes her readers from the mythic origins of representation to exemplary instances of contemporary art. And in the course of traversing the history and charting the geography of projection, even as she tarries with darkness, she produces nothing short of illumination.” —Lisa Saltzman, Bryn Mawr CollegeTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Shadows of Enlightenment 1. Paranoid Projection and the Phantom Subject of Reason2. Empire through the Magic Lantern3. Empire Bites Back4. Along Enlightenment’s Cast Shadows5. Following the RainbowConclusion. Queer Projection: Theses on the “Future of an Illusion”AcknowledgmentsNotesIndex
£20.89
University of Minnesota Press CoinOperated Americans Rebooting Boyhood at the
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Carly A. Kocurek provides a fascinating cultural history of arcade gaming and, in doing so, offers keen insight into our ongoing conversations around gender and gaming. This is a must read for those interested not only in game studies but in the evolution of American boyhood."—T.L. Taylor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"An excellent study of the early history of the video game industry and how it came to define the gamer as male."—Library Journal"The great contribution of Kocurek’s Coin-Operated Americans is its attempt to historicize a relationship that often appears natural to cultural gatekeepers and other onlookers, not to mention reactionary “gamers” themselves."—Public Books"This detailed study provides a lucid, compelling narrative that will interest a very diverse audience."—CHOICE"Coin-Operated Americans is an invaluable contribution for those interested in the intersection among media, technology, and critical questions surrounding children and youth."—Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth"Kocurek invites readers to imagine the sensory environment of the early arcade, its sights and sounds, which serves as a vivid backdrop for the compelling cultural history the book chronicles."—Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth"Productive contributions to studies of masculinity, and to studies of gender and digital play more broadly."—Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality "Coin-Operated Americans will make an excellent addition to undergraduate courses on gender studies, American culture, and the recent past."—Oral History ReviewTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments Introduction1. The Microcosmic Arcade: Playing at the Cultural Vanguard 2. Gaming’s Gold Medalists: Twin Galaxies and the Rush to Competitive Gaming3. Adapting Violence: Death Race and the History of Gaming Moral Panic4. Anarchy in the Arcade: Regulating Coin-Op Video Games5. Play Saves the Day: TRON, WarGames, and the Gamer as Protagonist6. The Arcade Is Dead, Long Live the Arcade: Nostalgia in an Era of Ubiquitous Computing7. The Future Is Now: Changes in Gaming CultureNotesBibliographyIndex
£56.95
IEEE Computer Society Press,U.S. In the Beginning
Book SynopsisCapturing where we are today through a tour of yesterday''s achievements and helping us better understand the evolution of computing technology, this book recounts the experiences of those who formed and functioned in the Pioneering Era. In the Beginning: Recollections of Software Pioneers records the stories of computing''s past enabling today''s professionals to improve on the realities of yesterday. The stories in this book clearly show modern concepts such as data abstraction, modularity, and structured approaches date much earlier in the field than their appearance in academic literature. These stories help capture the true evolution. The book illustrates human experiences and industry turning points through personal recollections of the pioneers themselves.
£73.76
Ohio University Press The Gun in Central Africa
Book SynopsisExamining the history of warfare and political development through a technological lens, Macola relates the study of military technology to the history of gender.Trade Review“Giacomo Macola makes a serious contribution to our understanding of nineteenth-century African history, and specifically to the history of warfare and military organization in Africa. Few scholars have positioned firearms at the centre of their work in quite this manner, making this an innovative and distinctive intervention.”“In tracking the history of guns in late precolonial and early colonial history, Macola deftly draws on concepts from science, technology, and society (STS), consumption, and material-culture studies, placing African history in conversation with those fields…In his final chapter, [he] connects his story to recent histories of violence, intercontinental trade, and armament in central Africa, demonstrating anew that precolonial African history is both accessible in, and essential to, understanding contemporary Africa.” * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *“…Provides a fascinating perspective on the evolution of societies, trade, ethnic rivalries, and war in the decades leading up to the European scramble for the continent… Macola’s broader purpose is to place the study of precolonial Africa back on the scholarly agenda and show how it remains relevant today. The conclusion of his fine book suggests a link between the adoption of firearms in central Africa a century and a half ago and the motivations and actions of the young men in today’s eastern Congo who join militias and spread insecurity and violence.” * Foreign Affairs *“The Gun in Central Africa … is a methodological triumph … Macola’s command of language and local histories opens a new window on not just the Scramble for Africa but also the motivations of today’s militias in eastern Congo.” * Joanna Lewis, assistant professor in the department of international history, London School of Economics *”Macola’s book, with its focus on the symbolic and social value of firearms, tells us something new and original about Africa’s history and in particular about the different ways in which African societies actively incorporated the exogenous flow of technology brought by international trade. At the same time, it is undoubtedly a valuable book for scholars who wish to understand better the present dynamics of warfare in central Africa.” * Journal of Southern African Studies *“[Macola] reveals the limits of the theory of technological determinism and ascriptions of agency in a provocative argument about the localization of technology that removes its independent power but enhances its significance in other ways. Students of nineteenth-century history and colonial conquest in Africa will find here many challenges to received opinion as well as new entrées into the history of other eras and even technologies.” * Michigan War Studies Review *“Macola’s important book has the great merit of providing a broad and complex comparative narrative of gun domestication within the central African savannah. In so doing, it paves the way to further explorations on the challenges and rewards that precolonial African meanings present to the historian striving to understand their legacies to contemporary central Africa.” * Journal of African Military History *“Macola’s book shows how most African precolonial societies, even those far from the coastal areas under early European influence, became familiar with gunpowder technology. They developed their own techniques to use, repair and improve firearms and even, in some societies, to produce gunpowder and ammunition. The book’s emphasis on the multifaceted political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of firearms underlines the necessity to seek interpretations about the circulation of military technology beyond the traditional scope of international rivalry between states.” * Technology and Culture, Vol. 61 (July 2020) *
£56.10
Duke University Press Beautiful Data
Book SynopsisBeautiful Data is both a history of big data and interactivity, and a sophisticated meditation on ideas about vision and cognition in the second half of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Overall... this is quite an interesting read, illustrating how a single idea (cybernetics) can permeate all walks of life, at least for a time." -- Alexander von Lünen * British Journal for the History of Science *"...Halpern’s brilliant and blow-by-blow exposition on the transformation of our sense and reason in Beautiful Data certainly enriches our critical and historical understanding of important parts of contemporary society. This book contributes to the fields of communication studies, media studies, and science, technology and society (STS), as well as the history of science." -- Yasuhito Abe * International Journal of Communication *"Bringing together the history of science with studies of media, affect, and aesthetics, Beautiful Data offers a compelling account of the epistemological infrastructures of the digital that have, since 1945, radically changed the ways we see, interpret, and think." -- Jessica Hurley * American Literature *"Beautiful Data is an innovative, informative and highly enjoyable read for those who often find themselves hovering between disciplinary fields, offering a reflective history of early cybernetics, art, design, psychology and political science. Halpern guides her readers gracefully thorugh a history of interactivity between humans and machines, the archive and the interface." -- Amanda Tully * Science & Technology Studies *"Beautiful Data will no doubt comprise a critical touchstone for future reflections on 'big data' and where it is taking us." -- Hallam Stevens * Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences *"Beautiful Data is a significant work of contemporary theory . . . [that] lends difficult, rich new insights to unthought histories of digital perception, and to possible futures we might not only long for but actively build." -- Jackie Orr * Isis *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Prologue. Speculating on Sense 1 Introduction. Dreams for Our Perceptual Present 9 1. Archiving. Temporality, Storage, and Interactivity in Cybernetics 39 2. Visualizing. Design, Communicative Objectivity, and the Interface 79 3. Rationalizing. Cognition, Time, and Logic in the Social and Behavioral Sciences 145 4. Governing. Designing Information and Reconfiguring Population circa 1959 199 Conclusion 239 Epilogue 251 Notes 271 Bibliography 307 Index 327
£75.65
Duke University Press Forensic Media
Book SynopsisThis provocative book considers how photographic, electronic, and digital media have been used to record and reconstruct accidents, particularly high-speed crashes and catastrophes, and argues that “forensic media” thereby transmute disruptive chance occurrences into reassuring narratives of causal succession.Trade Review"Siegel’s thoroughly researched and beautifully written book is essential reading for anyone concerned with how media help us construct and imagine both what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future." -- Jaimie Baron * Television & New Media *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction. Accidents and Forensics 1 1. Engineering Detectives 31 2. Tracings 65 3. Black Boxes 89 4. Tests and Split Seconds 143 Epilogue. Retrospective Prophecies 195 Notes 215 Bibliography 237 Index 251
£76.50
Duke University Press Forensic Media
Book SynopsisThis provocative book considers how photographic, electronic, and digital media have been used to record and reconstruct accidents, particularly high-speed crashes and catastrophes, and argues that “forensic media” thereby transmute disruptive chance occurrences into reassuring narratives of causal succession.Trade Review"Siegel’s thoroughly researched and beautifully written book is essential reading for anyone concerned with how media help us construct and imagine both what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future." -- Jaimie Baron * Television & New Media *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction. Accidents and Forensics 1 1. Engineering Detectives 31 2. Tracings 65 3. Black Boxes 89 4. Tests and Split Seconds 143 Epilogue. Retrospective Prophecies 195 Notes 215 Bibliography 237 Index 251
£25.19
University of Pittsburgh Press When They Hid the Fire A History of Electricity and Invisible Energy in America Intersections
Book SynopsisWhen They Hid the Fire examines the American social perceptions of electricity as an energy technology that were adopted between the mid-nineteenth and early decades of the twentieth centuries.Trade Review“When They Hid the Fire is an important historical study that helps us understand how the electric power system— a key element of modern society’s infrastructure— became invisible. The unseen nature of electricity has had profound policy implications because consumers generally have no idea that power production often results in serious environmental degradation. This book forces readers to confront their history and to think about how their energy futures might need to change.” —Richard F. HirshProfessor, Virginia Tech University
£39.17
University of Pittsburgh Press The Extraction State A History of Natural Gas in America
Book SynopsisCharles Blanchard traces the rise of natural gas and the regulatory missteps that nearly ruined the market.
£32.26
Fordham University Press Exterranean Extraction in the Humanist
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Incipit: From Sub- to Exterranean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 I: Terra Global Circus 1. Terra Has Standing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2. Terre’s Brilliant Mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 3. Terra Globalized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 II: Welcome to Mineland 4. Sickly Mountainsides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 5. Demonic Mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 III: Hiding in Exterranean Matter 6. Geomedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 7. Saline Intimacies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Explicit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
£25.19
Fordham University Press The Geological Unconscious German Literature and
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction | 1 1 Of Other Petrofictions: Reimagining the Mine in German Romanticism | 17 2 Goethe’s Erratics: Wandering in Deep Time | 36 3 Many Stranded Stones: Stifter’s Spectral Landscapes | 67 4 The Shock of the Earth: Benjamin’s Unarticulated Ground | 93 Epilogue: Dilapidated | 115 Acknowledgments | 139 Notes | 143 Bibliography | 157 Index | 171
£23.39
Fordham University Press The Geological Unconscious
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction | 1 1 Of Other Petrofictions: Reimagining the Mine in German Romanticism | 17 2 Goethe’s Erratics: Wandering in Deep Time | 36 3 Many Stranded Stones: Stifter’s Spectral Landscapes | 67 4 The Shock of the Earth: Benjamin’s Unarticulated Ground | 93 Epilogue: Dilapidated | 115 Acknowledgments | 139 Notes | 143 Bibliography | 157 Index | 171
£85.50
University of New Mexico Press Abandoned in Place Preserving Americas Space
Book SynopsisRoland Miller’s colour photographs document the NASA, air force, and army facilities across the US that once played a crucial role in the space race. The haunting images collected here impart artistic insight while preserving an important period in history.
£35.06
Liverpool University Press Trawling The Rise and Fall of the British Trawl
Book SynopsisA distinct branch of the multi-faceted fishing industry, trawling dates back at least to the 1370s when attempts were made to prohibit the use of a primitive trawling device, the 'wondyrychoun' on the Thames.Trade ReviewRobb Robinson ... has made an important contribution to a field that is only going to grow in importance ... Trawling makes a particularly strong mark simply in the way it conveys to the reader the everyday working lives of British trawl fishermen. We also gain valuable insight into the maritime trades that supported trawling. The objective, yet humanly transcendent, tone with which Robinson evokes the rigours and danger of trawling in ever more distant waters has seldom been matched by maritime historians dealing with this labour issue. There is a level of ethnographic authority in Robinson's narrative (possibly due to his family's longtime involvement in the industry) that soundly situates the reader in the trawlerman's distinct culture, from the benefits that accrued to being affiliated with a successful skipper to the struggles to achieve unionization among commercial fishing's rank-and-file... One can feel the rhythms of the fisherman's community in Robinson's commentary - time spent not only at sea, but in the home, in the pub, and on the docks. Indeed, Trawling is one of the few treatments of this maritime industry that acknowledges the significant role women played in a setting where men were frequently gone. Trawling further contributes to fisheries history by discussing the unique role trawlermen played as small-boat handlers in the Trawler Section of Royal Naval Reserve during World War I; the Royal Naval Patrol Section during World War II; and as ever-present lifesavers during peacetime. As can be inferred from Robinson's title, trawling's symbolism and tangible effect will resonate economically and environmentally for years to come. To this end, Trawling is commendable for its methodological, interpretive, and substantive contributions to the international community of maritime historians.International Journal of Maritime HistoryThis is not the final statement on the history of trawling but it is the most valuable contribution to the literature so far. It should be read by everyone who claims a say in fisheries policy matters and also as a case study of the rise and fall of a major industry under the special infliences of a common-property resource, governmental management and international law.The Northern MarinerRobinson's treatment is sufficiently academic to satisfy the specialist but also an absorbing read for the layman.The Maritime YearbookOf all the most important industries and occupations, historians have paid least attention to fishing. Robb Robinson's book is likely to change this. It is an excellent pioneering study and opens up a vast field of new research opportunities.Mariner's Mirror, vol. 83'A detailed, accessible, well written account of British Trawler industry by fine teacher, writer and historian.' Brian W Lavery, author The Headscarf Revolutionaries (Barbican Press 2015)Table of Contents The pre-trawling era The pioneers Railways and markets Opening up the North Sea Free trade and indentured labour Fisherman and fleeting The coming of the steam trawler Beyond the North Sea Steam and storm The Great War Distant-water dominance Inter-war life and labour World War II The cost of trawling Freezers and factory fleets Cod wars and common fisheries policies - the beginning of the end
£27.99
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US Social Knowledge Creation in the Humanities
Book SynopsisThe ubiquity of social media has transformed the scope and scale of scholarly communication in the arts and humanities. The consequences of this new participatory and collaborative environment for humanities research has allowed for fresh approaches to communicating research. Social Knowledge Creation takes up the norms and customs of online life to reorient, redistribute, and oftentimes flatten traditional academic hierarchies. This book discusses the implications of how humanists communicate with the world and looks to how social media shapes research methods. This volume addresses peer-review, open access publishing, tenure and promotion, mentorship, teaching, collaboration, and interdisciplinarity as a comprehensive introduction to these rapidly changing trends in scholarly communication, digital pedagogy, and educational technology. Collaborative structures are rapidly augmenting disciplinary focus of humanities curriculum and the public impact of humanities research teams with neTable of ContentsTracing the Movement of Ideas: Social Knowledge Creation in the Humanities 1An Annotated Bibliography of Social Knowledge CreationIntroduction 29I. Social Knowledge Creation and Conveyance 41II. Game-Design Models for Digital Social Knowledge Creation 163III. Social Knowledge Creation Tools 215Complete Alphabetical List of Bibliography 235Contributors 265
£49.40
Washington State University Press Seattles Streetcar Era
Book SynopsisUtilizing narrative, maps, and many previously unpublished photographs, author Mike Bergman offers a detailed jaunt through Seattle’s fascinating streetcar era.Table of ContentsForewordCHAPTER 1 Streetcars for Profit: Privately Owned Street RailwaysCHAPTER 2 Streetcars for the People: Municipal OwnershipCHAPTER 3 The 1920's: Bought But Not Paid ForCHAPTER 4 The Great Depression: Struggle for SurvivalCHAPTER 5 The Great ConversionCHAPTER 6 A Tour of Seattle Streetcar RoutesAPPENDIX A: Seattle Municipal Street Railway Fleet Lists Fleet ListsAPPENDIX B: Seattle Municipal Street Railway Service Levels, April 1939APPENDIX C: Annual Seattle Municipal Street Railway and Seattle Transit System Ridership, 1919-1941SourcesRecommended Further ReadingAcknowledgementsIndexAbout the Author
£31.46
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection Lighting in Early Byzantium
Book Synopsis
£18.86
John Wiley & Sons Inc Implosion
Book SynopsisImplosion is a focused study of the history and uses of high-reliability, solid-state electronics, military standards, and space systems that support our national security and defense. This book is unique in combining the interdependent evolution of and interrelationships among military standards, solid-state electronics, and very high-reliability space systems. Starting with a brief description of the physics that enabled the development of the first transistor, Implosion covers the need for standardizing military electronics, which began during World War II and continues today. The book shows how these twin topics affected, and largely enabled, the highest reliability and most technologically capable robotic systems ever conceived. This riveting history helps readers: Realize the complex interdependence of solid-state electronics and practical implementations in the national security and defense space programs Understand the evolutTrade Review"It has elements of all four, but its real value is in the amalgamation of these divergent elements into a meaningful whole." (Quest: The History of Spaceflight, 1 March 2013)Table of ContentsList of Figures vii List of Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Program Names xvii Part I Activation Energy (1931-1968) 1. Washington . . . We Have a Problem . . . 3 2. The Quantum Leap 6 3. Preparation 21 4. The Final Frontiers 29 5. Minuteman Means Reliability 58 6. Skinning Cats 68 Part II Startup Transient (1969-1980) 7. Changing the Sea State 87 8. Space Parts: From A to S 93 9. There's S, and Then There's S 122 10. A Little Revolution Now and Then Is Good 140 11. Quality on the Horizon 144 Part III Switching Transient (1980–1989) 12. Crossing the Operational Divide 153 13. Stocking the Shelves 168 14. Hammered 184 15. Battlegrounds: Reorganization and Reform 187 16. Implementing Change in a Changing World 207 Part IV Shorting To Ground (1989-2002) 17. Leap First, Look Later 231 18. Hardly Standing PAT 248 Part V Resetting the Circuit Breakers 19. Brewing the Perfect Storm 277 20. Summing the Parts 301 Epilogue: Can One Ever Truly Go Home Again? 309 Index 322
£47.66
Johns Hopkins University Press Iron Coffin
Book SynopsisThis sensitive and enthralling history of the USS Monitor ensures that this fateful ship, and the men who served on it, will be remembered for generations to come.Trade ReviewMindell takes us back in time so we become 'witnesses' to the events surrounding the Union Navy's most famous ironclad. Pirates and Privateers The excellence of this volume confirms its continuing usefulness... Iron Coffin is a veritable gem of a book. -- John F.M. McDermott IEEE Technology and Society Magazine Mindell's research is impeccable and supports his argument with considerable authority from contemporary sources as well as his own experiences after the partial recovery of the Monitor's components. The book, as with its earlier incarnation, is an important bridge between operational military history and the human side to science and technology. -- Gregory Stern H-War, H-Net Reviews Midell conveys life aboard the Monitor with realism and honesty. -- Robert C. Stewart Industrial ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPreface 2012Preface to the First EditionIntroduction: A Strange Sort of Warfare1. Revising the Revolution, 1815–18612. Building a Ship, Speaking Success3. William Keeler's Epistolary Monitor4. Life in the Artificial World5. The Battle of Hampton Roads6. Iron Ship in a Glass Case, April–September 18627. Utilitarians View the Monitor's Fight, 1862–18658. Melville and the Mechanic's WarConclusion: Mechanical Faces of BattleEpilogueNotesBibliography EssayIndex
£21.85
