The Vacuum Cleaner (Paperback)

from Helcura

I found this book to be quite variable. In some places it was fascinating, but in others it seemed to consist of arid lists of who manufactured what. I'd recommend that the casual reader do two things: First, feel comfortable skimming the book and jumping over the slow parts. Second, if you can f...

from TLCrawford

I have always been interested in gadgets and when I saw "The Vacuum Cleaner: A History" I thought that it would be at least an amusing change of pace. Carroll Gantz's book turned out to be much more than just that. Starting with Levi Dickenson's 1797 discovery of the best variety of sorghum tasse...

from NewsieQ

I remember reading The Glory and the Dream by William Manchester, a social history of America that includes a bit about the labor-saving devices that changed "woman's work" in the 20th Century. And more recently, I read The Path to Power by Robert Caro, which included a brilliant chapter about th...