Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century - Hardcover

Fenichell, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0887307329 ISBN 13: 9780887307324

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1996

Synopsis

In Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century, Stephen Fenichell takes a fresh, irreverent look at the substance we all love to hate. The book moves from the early astonishment at such inventions as celluloid film and waterproof clothing; to the nylon-stocking riots after World War II; to the revolutionary, yet practical, proliferation of Tupperware in the '50s. Fenichell's sweeping assessment of the social and economic revolutions brought on by plastic extends from the sublime to the absurd, the beautiful to the mundane, demonstrating how scientists, artists, politicians, and the buying public have all molded, and also been molded by, plastic.

About this title

Synopsis

From pink flamingos and vinyl records to kevlar vests and artificial hearts to hula hoops and credit cards, plastic has invaded every aspect of modern life. Surpassing wood, cotton, steel and glass in all categories (except possibly good taste), this nearly indestructible material is the most revolutionary substance man has ever known. Tracing the obscure origins of synthetic materials, this book presents a century's worth of inventors, speculators and designers who transformed society and brought in the plastic invasion. Included are the early celluloid pioneer John Wesley Harding who pursued a quixotic quest to create the perfect man-made billiard ball and Wallace Carothers, inventor of nylon, who commited suicide just as the sexual revolution was about to be ushered in by his creation - nylon stockings.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0887307329
• ISBN 13: 9780887307324
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320