Really Useful: The Origins of Everyday Things

...Author Joel Levy's appealing and informative book entitled Really Useful The Origins Of Everyday Things will provide you with the information to continue your conversation. According to Levy "your house is a kind of museum. In every room, on every surface, are the exhibits: everyday things that you take for granted, but each of which has its own story. "The book is a superb endeavour that leads the reader from room to room pointing out the origins and components of such items as deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, eyeglasses, razor blades, Tupperware, plastic band aids, tea bags, instant coffee, tooth brushes, mirrors, showers, plugs and switches, toilets and toilet paper and many more that we presume have always existed. For example, did you know, as the book mentions, "cave paintings and archaeological finds show that prehistoric man was shaving at least as far back as 30, 000 BC. Stone-age cultures used sharp-edged flints, shells, shark's teeth, or volcanic obsidian glass, implements that were still in use under medieval Aztecs and other Stone-Age cultures right up to the 20th century. "Perhaps you were not aware that toilet paper dates back to the sixth-century China, but in most parts of the world was a rare commodity until the 17th and 18th century. Levy also takes us outside the home and tells us about some of the toys we play with, such as the Frisbee. You probably are not aware that the modern recreation of tossing the Frisbee all started at Harvard and Yale in the 1940s. Apparently students attending these Universities amused themselves by throwing around shallow tin pie-pans from the William R. Frisbie bakery of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A gentleman by the name of Walter Frederick Morrison, who was inspired by flying saucers, created his own flying disks and sold his patent to a company called Wham-O Manufacturing. Initially the toy was called "flying saucers." The president of the company, Richard Kerr, decided to name the disks Frisbee after he visited the campuses of Harvard and Yale. We all know how successful the toy became. These are a sampling of the more than the 100 objects and "goodies" Levy writes about in a book that will surely interest young and old. In fact, for most readers, it will probably be a book to slowly digest during the course of several readings. After all, you do want to be able to remember many of the tidbits.

As coffee table books go, this is one of the best to have come out in a long time. Obviously very well researched, and full of fascinating information, I was very pleased when someone gave this to me recently. Oh, and the photos are excellent too.