Our lives are affected in many ways by the discoveries and inventions of those with curious minds and adventurous spirits. These books, selected by Reader Advisor Ginny Ryan, tell us how some items we use everyday were invented.
Brainstorm!: The Stories of Twenty American Kid Inventors by Tom Tucker.
A look at twenty inventions, covering more than two hundred years of history, by young people ranging in age from five to nineteen. The inventions include earmuffs, colored car wax, popsicles, flippers, resealable cereal boxes, a rotary steam engine, and a safety device to keep children from getting their fingers mashed in doors. Includes a section on how to protect your own great ideas. For grades 5-8. RC 41819, BR 10541.
The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin.
History of discovery written by the Librarian of Congress focuses upon the men whose thirst for knowledge led them to the important discoveries about the world in which we live, despite the countervailing myths and dogmas of their times. Also shows how key discoveries from primitive to modern times have served to open up new horizons for exploration and shaped our current knowledge about time, geography, nature, and society. Man’s Continuing Quest series, book 1. RC 20145.
Infoculture: The Smithsonian Book of Information Age Inventions by Steven Lubar.
A museum curator at the Smithsonian takes the reader on a guided tour of popular inventions, explaining how they work, how they are used, and how they may affect our daily lives. Lubar traces the historical development of technology important to American culture, business, and science. He focuses on communications, entertainment, and information processing, and projects what we might expect in the future. RC 38047.
Ingenious Pursuits: Building the Scientific Revolution by Lisa Jardine.
Explores the forces in the late seventeenth century that laid the foundations for modern scientific thought and practices. Traces the development of such key discoveries as precise time measurement, enhanced astronomical observation, selective animal and plant breeding, advanced techniques in navigation, chemical substance analysis, and the mathematics of naturally occurring curves. RC 51956.
The Innovators: The Discoveries, Inventions, and Breakthroughs of Our Time by John Diebold.
The author, an innovator in the field of automation, describes the birth and growth of eleven ideas. From the serendipitous moment an idea is formed, through the tough times when people say it can’t be done, he tells the stories of the transistor, xerography, lasers, fiber optics, electronic banking, and other innovations. RC 31628.
Inventions Necessity Is Not the Mother Of: Patents Ridiculous and Sublime by Stacy V. Jones.
Describes some famous and some not-so-famous inventions, such as an alarm clock that squirts the sleeper in the face, a rifle with a curved barrel for firing around corners, and a golf ball that sends out smoke signals when it lands. RC 7922.
The Inventive Yankee: From Rockets to Roller Skates, 200 Years of Yankee Inventors and Inventions by the Publishers of Yankee Magazine.
A tribute to 200 years of Yankee ingenuity. This collection of articles from "Yankee" magazine discusses both the triumphs and fiascos of those New Englanders who have given us such inventions as paper clips, frozen foods, the Dixie Cup, rubber, pacemakers, can openers, doughnuts, Silly Putty, snowmakers, wooden golf tees, and the "Fannie Farmer Cookbook." RC 31139, BR 8123.
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions by Don L. Wulffson.
An alphabetical listing of common items and how they came about. The "inventions" include the Barbie doll, credit cards, doughnuts, miniature golf games, the zipper, and other things selected to interest the young reader. For grades 4-7. RC 46619.
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester.
Author of The Professor and the Madman (RC 46906) examines the struggle of William Smith to publish the first geological map of England in 1815 and the delayed recognition of his feat due to class discrimination. Discusses Smith’s singular contributions to science and the hardships he endured. RC 52894.
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World by Simon Garfield.
Biography of William Henry Perkin, the British chemist who discovered the artificial dye mauve. Explains how Perkin at age eighteen produced the first aniline dye derived from coal. Discusses his subsequent fame and his importance as an inspiration for chemical advances in medicine, perfumery, food, explosives, and photography. RC 53110.
Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature’s Healing Secrets by Mark J. Plotkin.
In this companion to Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice (RC 38383), an ethnobotanist searches the world's forests for plants that heal. Describes substances derived from bugs, snakes, marine life, plants, and fungi that can be used in formulating chemical compounds that cure disease. RC 53431.
They All Laughed: From Light Bulbs to Lasers, the Fascinating Stories behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives by Ira Flatow.
The science talk show host for National Public Radio explores behind the scene stories about twenty-four inventions and the people responsible for them. Flatow combines historical facts with details about individuals who made accidental discoveries and those who developed ideas born of necessity. RC 36905.