Zipper– An Exploration in Novelty - Hardcover

Friedel, L

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393035999 ISBN 13: 9780393035995

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994

Synopsis

The zip-fastener was invented by Whitcomb Judson, a frustrated man with a penchant for complexity. It didn't work and wasn't wanted. This book tells the fascinating story of how a useless technological novelty worked its way into daily life and took its place as one of the defining artefacts of the 20th century. The cast of characters might well have come from a novel: the brilliant engineer who took 20 years to make the zip-fastener work; the small-town lawyer whose blind faith in Judson's invention sustained him for 40 lean years; the flamboyant Paris designer who made zip-fasteners the height of fashion; and the Japanese entrepreneur whose dedication to simple ideas made him the "Zipper King" of the world.

About this title

Review:

A fascinating story....Zipper celebrates a wonderful bit of Americana, to be sure, but it's a serious work of history as well. "

An interesting and well-researched book. After reading it, you'll never again secure your trousers or evening dress in quite the same way. "

How the ingenious zipper, a newfangled, unwanted novelty, became a ubiquitous part of daily life is the story told in this engaging chronicle peopled by a colorful cast of characters.

About the Author:

Robert Friedel is a professor of the history of technology and science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0393035999
• ISBN 13: 9780393035995
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304