The Perfectionists

Download or Read eBook The Perfectionists PDF written by Simon Winchester and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle.
The Perfectionists
Author :
Publisher : HarperCollins
Total Pages : 545
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780062652577
ISBN-13 : 0062652575
Rating : 4/5 (77 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Perfectionists by : Simon Winchester

Book excerpt: “Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review) The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?


The Perfectionists Related Books

The Perfectionists
Language: en
Pages: 545
Authors: Simon Winchester
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-05-08 - Publisher: HarperCollins

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starr
Attention and Focus in Dance
Language: en
Pages: 257
Authors: Clare Guss-West
Categories: Performing Arts
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-10-20 - Publisher: Human Kinetics

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Western approach to dance is largely focused on control and mastery of technique, both of which are certainly necessary skills for improving performance. Bu
Life Force
Language: en
Pages: 720
Authors: Tony Robbins
Categories: Health & Fitness
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-02-08 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force—the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help
Revolutionary Power
Language: en
Pages: 226
Authors: Shalanda Baker
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-01-14 - Publisher: Island Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, completely upending the energy grid of the small island. The nearly year-long power outage that followed viv
The Passage of Power
Language: en
Pages: 785
Authors: Robert A. Caro
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-05-01 - Publisher: Vintage

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE, THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE, THE AMERICAN HISTORY BOOK PRIZE Book Four of