Inventions that Didn't Change the World - Hardcover

Halls, Julie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500517622 ISBN 13: 9780500517628

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2014

Synopsis

Inventions that Didn't Change the World is a fascinating visual tour through some of the most bizarre inventions registered with the British authorities in the nineteenth century. In an era when Britain was the workshop of the world, registration of designs was quicker and cheaper than the convoluted patenting process, and all manner of bizarre curiosities were painstakingly recorded in beautiful color illustrations and well-penned explanatory text, alongside the genuinely great inventions of the period. Irreverent commentary contextualizes each submission as well as taking a humorous view on how each has stood the test of time. This book introduces such gems as a ventilating top hat; an artificial leech; a design for an aerial machine adapted for the arctic regions; an anti-explosive alarm whistle; a tennis racket with ball-picker; and a currant-cleaning machine. Here is everything the end user could possibly require for a problem he never knew he had. Organized by area of application industry, clothing, transportation, medical, health and safety, the home, and leisure Inventions that Didn t Change the World reveals the concerns of a bygone era giddy with the possibilities of a newly industrialized world.

About this title

Product Description:

Its no wonder the Combined Umbrella Handle and Railway Carriage Door Key, or the Continuous Stream Enema Fountain Syringe, were never made, yet Victorian designers were ever hopeful of relieving lifes burdens. This fascinating collection of 240 illustrations, reproduced from the National Archives, features drawings of gadgets and appliances submitted to officialdom for copyright purposes but never realized as products. Domestic needs and health concerns are among the many aspects of Victorian life revealed by the quirky ingenuity on display.

Review:

A showcase of designs culled from the National Archive that demonstrates the range, vigour and, often lunacy of 19th-century creativity ... all of them offer a glimpse into a world of optimism, and a touching faith in the promise of better living through technology. --Tim Martin, The Sunday Telegraph

This is too good to be called a stocking filler ... the illustrations are original and great to pore over ... so fascinating - you couldn't make it up. --Patrick Neale, The Bookseller, Book of the Year (top 5)

Hundreds of bizarre 19th-century designs ... all laid out with skilful draughtsmanship and Heath Robinson-style eccentricity. --Picture Book of the Week, New Statesman

A host of ridiculous Victorian inventions so strange they never made it into production have been revealed for the first time ... The quirky designs, which include a corset with inflatable bust, a portable bath and a ventilating hat, have been held at the National Archives in Kew, Richmond, for 150 years. --Mail Online

Wonderfully wacky designs that have been unseen for 150 years are revealed for the first time in a bonkers book. --Mirror Online

A love letter to odd Victorian inventions. --BBC Focus

Irresistible ... these inventions provide entertaining glimpses of the lives, hopes and fears of our 19th-century forebears. --The Lancet

Intriguing ... beautifully printed ... a rich trove of images. --The Wall Street Journal

Replete with enough quaint titbits to feed all those with an appetite for yesteryear's novelties. --Writing Magazine

A treasure trove of self-ventilating hats, boot warmers, hairbrushing machines and improved pickle forks, all taken from the leather-bound volumes of the Design Registry ... a unique insight into the world that spawned them. --The Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0500517622
• ISBN 13: 9780500517628
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224