The Pencil (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry Petroski
- First Published: 1990
- Type of Work: History
- Time of Work: The sixteenth century to the present
- Setting: Great Britain, France, and the United States
- Genres: Nonfiction, History
- Subjects: Philosophy or philosophers, Inventions or inventors, Industrialization, Engineering
- Locales: France, United States, Great Britain
Henry Petroski’s main point in writing The Pencil is to sharpen his readers’ awareness of the fact that common implements used in daily life—implements that are often taken for granted—reveal much about the social fiber of humankind. Petroski’s approach to history should erase forever the notion that its study necessarily emphasizes considerations of wars and treaties, of despots and those who topple them, of royal genealogies and palace intrigue—if, indeed, such notions still lurk in the public mind.
Near the turn of the century, Marcel Proust was launched on...
[The entire page is 2053 words long]
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