I know some of you have likely read this already, but I had been wanting to get to it for a few years.
One Good Turn—A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw, by Witold Rybczynski, is a short (~150 pp) history of the screw. It has some interesting facts in it, and had the potential to be a great microhistory book. However, it takes a while to get started and the author spends too much time talking about his writing process before getting to the good stuff. The book jumps around a lot chronologically, and then ends abruptly when it really needs to start getting into detail. I always find this frustrating because often there are only one or two books about a specific topic as unique as a tool or mechanical invention written per generation, so it's unlikely anyone will take the trouble to pick up where the author of this book left off—for a while at least.
Not to spoil it for anyone, but one gem I did learn was that, unlike other fasteners such as nails, rivets or pins, screws were made initially by educated hobbyists—not industrial workers. Screw turning on elaborate lathes was considered the "gentleman's equivalent of needlepoint" and suited to men only with leisure time on their hands (so, yeah...rich people) in the early 1700s.
I couldn't find an e-version of the book, which maybe was OK because there are some drawings I suspect would not display well on e-ink. I'm glad I read it, but don't think it's worth the money for a new version (and especially the hardcover version). Having said this I'm happy to give my copy to someone for free. So if you are in Calgary and really interested, let me know and you can come pick it up and maybe pass on to another member at some point.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0006386032/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GEEMQSV1HFG0TYSTQCFG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
One Good Turn—A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw, by Witold Rybczynski, is a short (~150 pp) history of the screw. It has some interesting facts in it, and had the potential to be a great microhistory book. However, it takes a while to get started and the author spends too much time talking about his writing process before getting to the good stuff. The book jumps around a lot chronologically, and then ends abruptly when it really needs to start getting into detail. I always find this frustrating because often there are only one or two books about a specific topic as unique as a tool or mechanical invention written per generation, so it's unlikely anyone will take the trouble to pick up where the author of this book left off—for a while at least.
Not to spoil it for anyone, but one gem I did learn was that, unlike other fasteners such as nails, rivets or pins, screws were made initially by educated hobbyists—not industrial workers. Screw turning on elaborate lathes was considered the "gentleman's equivalent of needlepoint" and suited to men only with leisure time on their hands (so, yeah...rich people) in the early 1700s.
I couldn't find an e-version of the book, which maybe was OK because there are some drawings I suspect would not display well on e-ink. I'm glad I read it, but don't think it's worth the money for a new version (and especially the hardcover version). Having said this I'm happy to give my copy to someone for free. So if you are in Calgary and really interested, let me know and you can come pick it up and maybe pass on to another member at some point.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0006386032/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GEEMQSV1HFG0TYSTQCFG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
