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Book Cover
Book
Author James, Peter (Peter J.), author

Title Ancient inventions / Peter James & Nick Thorpe
Edition First edition
Published New York : Ballantine Books, 1994
©1994

Copies

Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 W'PONDS  609 Jam/Ain  AVAILABLE
Description xxiii, 672 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Contents Surgical instruments -- Eye operations -- Plastic surgery -- Brain surgery -- False teeth and dentistry -- False limbs -- Anesthetics -- Acupuncture -- Mapmaking -- Skis and skates -- Odometers -- Wind cars and rocket cars -- Ships and liners -- The first Suez Canal -- The compass -- Lighthouses -- Diving gear -- Man-bearing kites and parachutes -- Ballooning -- Computers -- Clocks -- Coin-operated slot mahines -- Automatic doors -- The steam engine -- Automata -- Earthquake detectors -- Electric batteries -- Magnets and magnetism -- Magnifying glasses -- Aphrodisiacs -- Dildos -- Contraceptives -- Pregnancy tests -- Sex manuals -- Human and animal armor -- Tanks -- Catapults and crossbows -- The "claws" of Archimedes -- Flamethrowers -- Hand Grenades -- From gunpowder to the cannon -- Poison gas -- Mirrors -- Makeup -- Tattooing -- Soap -- Razors -- Perfume -- Wigs -- Clothing and shoes -- Jewelry -- Spectacles -- Umbrellas -- Restaurants and snack bars -- Cookbooks -- Refrigeration -- Chewing gum -- Tea, coffee and chocolate -- Wine, beer and brewing -- Drugs -- Tobacco and pipes -- Sewers -- Pipes and plumbing -- Apartment buildings -- Fire engines -- Banks -- Coins and paper money -- The reaping machine -- Watermills and windmills -- Pesticides -- Beekeeping -- Fish and oyster farms -- Drilling and mining -- Tunneling -- Mammoth-bone houses -- Cats and dogs -- Lavatories -- Saunas -- Baths -- Central heating -- Glass windows -- Keys and locks -- Calendars -- The alphabet -- Codes and ciphers -- Books and printing -- Encyclopedias -- Postal systems -- Pigeon post -- Telegraphy -- Bullfighting -- The original Olympic Games -- Ball games -- Gardens and gardening -- Zoos -- Theaters -- Musical instruments -- Keyboards -- Written music -- Fireworks -- Magic lanterns -- Playing cards
Summary "We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions is a treasure trove of the triumphs and marvels of applied science, from the stone tools hewn by the earliest prehistoric people to the dawn of the modern era in 1492." "Historian and archaeologist team Peter James and Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers." "Organized thematically, Ancient Inventions covers everything from medicine to communication, from high-tech devices to city life, from military equipment to sports and leisure, from transportation to human sexuality. Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind."--Jacket
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 622-651) and index
Subject Inventions -- History.
Technology -- History.
Technology -- history.
Author Thorpe, I. J., author
LC no. 94007738
ISBN 0345364767
0345401026
9780345364760
9780345401021