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Henry Petroski traces the origins of the pencil back to ancient Greece and Rome, writes factually and charmingly about its development over the centuries and around the world, and shows what the pencil can teach us about engineering and technology today.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
- Sales Rank: #676672 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Knopf
- Published on: 1990-01-14
- Released on: 1990-01-14
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.50" h x 5.75" w x 1.75" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 434 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
Amazon.com Review
Like most other human artifacts, the common pencil, made and sold today by the millions, has a long and complex history. Henry Petroski, who combines a talent for fine writing with a deep knowledge of engineering and technological history, examines the story of the pencil, considering it not only as a thing in itself, but also as an exemplar of all things that are designed and manufactured.
Petroski ranges widely in time, discussing the writing technologies of antiquity. But his story really begins in the early modern period, when, in 1565, a Swiss naturalist first described the properties of the mineral that became known as graphite. Petroski traces the evolution of the pencil through the Industrial Revolution, when machine manufacture replaced earlier handwork. Along the way, he looks at some of pencil making's great innovators--including Henry David Thoreau, the famed writer, who worked in his father's pencil factory, inventing techniques for grinding graphite and experimenting with blends of lead, clay, and other ingredients to yield pencils of varying hardness and darkness. Petroski closes with a look at how pencils are made today--a still-imperfect technology that may yet evolve with new advances in materials and design. --Gregory McNamee
From Publishers Weekly
In this age of the computer, Petroski's delightful, elegant history of the lowly pencil is a mind-sharpener, a revelation. The pencil's slow evolution from metallic-lead stylus paralleled the growth of engineering prior to the Industrial Revolution. In America, the saga of pencil-making encompassed gentlemanly cabinetmaker Ebenezer Wood and philosopher/amateur engineer Henry David Thoreau; the latter, while working in his father's pencil business, hit upon the idea of combining graphite and clay. In modern times, pencil-making was transformed from cottage industry to mechanized science, with a boost from international trade rivalries, the Faber manufacturing family of Germany and engineers' quests for perfection. Toulouse-Lautrec said, "I am a pencil." John Steinbeck was seemingly obsessed with his pencils' points, shapes and sizes. Petroski ( To Engineer Is Human ) illuminates the intersection of engineering, history, economics and culture. Illustrated.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-- An incredibly rich and complex history of this entirely unremarkable instrument of communication. Petroski explains the origins of its name, traces the search for suitable supplies of lead and wood, and explains why most pencils have six sides. He does all of this in an informative and entertaining style in a book made richer by its illustrations. The author does, however, have an ulterior motive. He uses the history of the pencil to provide numerous illustrations of the process called engineering, from design to manufacture and marketing. He also points out that engineering is a social phenomena, influenced by economic conditions, national rivalries, and other, often surprising elements. Many high school students, especially those with an interest in design, will enjoy this book. Portions of it could be used to provide lessons in economics as well as engineering and design.
- James Rose, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Pencils!
By Stretchkev
The pencil is such a simple piece of technology that it is often ignored. No one gives it a second thought to lose a pencil or throw one away. In fact, it’s the only piece of property that we lend to perfect strangers with little or no expectations of it being returned. The pencil is just everyday debris, a technology so common that we don’t even think of it as technology. And yet a tremendous amount of engineering, imagination, and hard work of thousands of people has gone into the simple, humble wood case pencil. Such a simple technology that has played such an important role in art and science, in everyday writing, and in every students learning experience deserves more credit then we give it.
Henry Petroski has taken on the challenge to track down and retell the history of the pencil in all its wonderful minutia. Starting from its murky origin through its industrialization to its place in our modern society (of the early 1990’s) the pencil has had an incredibly complex history and mix of economics and creativity that is inherit to any engineering endeavor. For Petroski the history of the pencil is a perfect metaphor for what he calls the engineering method. He makes a pretty convincing argument for treating the practice of engineering in the same manner that we treat the scientific method. It doesn’t take Petroski much arguing to convince the reader that engineering is so pervasive in our everyday lives, that it warrants more study of how engineers perform their jobs and make the things we simply can’t live without. However, since much of engineering is tied up in drawings and diagrams of designs and solutions, that there simply aren’t enough eloquent engineers to explain the process to the public in the same ways as popularizers of science.
Luckily, Petroski is an eloquent historian, whose enthusiasm for his subjects is infectious. Now full disclosure here, I’m something of a wood case enthusiast, so I need little selling on the arcane history of the pencil. For most folks it’s a bit of harder sale, which is understandable of course. But Petroski does such a good job of making the history relatable and easy to read that it feels more like reading a general history rather than a dry history of some dull everyday object. It’s not a page turner by any means, but I think there is enough information and enough exploration of the engineering methodology to keep anyone interested until the end. Then again I could be completely blinded by love of the pencil that this could all be completely terrible and not worth reading. So yeah, I thought it was great, not sure if everyone else will.
*1st draft of this review written with a General’s Layout (Extra Black) No.555 B-core pencil
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
More for the studios than casual reader.
By AWR
Lots of interesting information bracketed between ponderous discussion. A scholarly look at an ostensibly mundane topic that certainly expands your appreciation for what it takes to manufacture almost anything when volume is a big consideration. Not a reference book to making pencils, more a philosophical look at technology and the path to developing a product. Covers the topic from many perspectives which gives rise to the notion that at times it meanders. Although it wasn't quite what I expected I did find it generally an enjoyable albeit lengthy read.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
OK, but ...
By Anonymous
Somewhat of a boring read. Goes mostly into the history of graphite for pencil leads and the history of wooden pencils rather than the more interesting mechanical pencils. Good for pre-late 19th century information on pencil making and the companies involved, but doesn't get much into the more interesting mechanical pencils of the early 20th through 21st centuries.
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