"This book should help advance the use of patent literature for historical research."
--"Choice"

"This publication is an interesting work that could be useful for reference purposes as well as pleasant for browsing."
--"ARBA online"

Dishwashers, electric light bulbs, gramophones, motion picture cameras, radios, roller skates, typewriters. While these inventions seem to speak of the 20th century, they all in fact date from the 19th century.

The Victorian age (1837-1901) was a period of enormous technological progress in communications, transport, and many other areas of life. Illustrated by the original patent drawings from The British Library's extensive collection, this attractive book chronicles the history of the one hundred most important, innovative, and memorable inventions of the 19th century. The vivid picture of the Victorian age unfolds as inventions from the ground-breaking--such as aspirin, dynamite, and the telephone--to the everyday--like blue jeans and tiddlywinks--are revealed decade by decade. Together they provide a vivid picture of Victorian life.

This follow-up volume to Stephen van Dulken's acclaimed "Inventing the 20th Century" will be compelling reading to anyone interested in inventors and the "age of machines." From the cash register to the safety pin, from the machine gun to the pocket protector, and from lawn tennis to the light bulb, Inventing the 19th Century is a fascinating, illustrative window into the Victorian Age.

Imagine your average day without zippers, airplanes or vacuum cleaners, without your clock radio or your personal stereo, without photocopiers. All of these devices were invented within the last hundred years and have since transformed our daily landscape.

Drawing on The British Library's vast and comprehensive collection of patents, this handsomely illustrated book recounts the history of 100 of the most significant inventions of the century, decade by decade.

From the photocopier to the Slinky, from genetic fingerprinting to the Lava Lamp, from the ballpoint pen to the fuel cell, Inventing the Twentieth Century is an informative, illuminating window onto the technology of the twentieth century. It's the perfect gift book for every inventor and tinkerer in your life!

"A wonderful book"
"--L.A. Daily Breeze, Oct. 19, 2001"

"This book should help advance the use of patent literature for historical research."
--"Choice"

"This publication is an interesting work that could be useful for reference purposes as well as pleasant for browsing."
--"ARBA online"

Dishwashers, electric light bulbs, gramophones, motion picture cameras, radios, roller skates, typewriters. While these inventions seem to speak of the 20th century, they all in fact date from the 19th century.

The Victorian age (1837-1901) was a period of enormous technological progress in communications, transport, and many other areas of life. Illustrated by the original patent drawings from The British Library's extensive collection, this attractive book chronicles the history of the one hundred most important, innovative, and memorable inventions of the 19th century. The vivid picture of the Victorian age unfolds as inventions from the ground-breaking--such as aspirin, dynamite, and the telephone--to the everyday--like blue jeans and tiddlywinks--are revealed decade by decade. Together they provide a vivid picture of Victorian life.

This follow-up volume to Stephen van Dulken's acclaimed "Inventing the 20th Century" will be compelling reading to anyone interested in inventors and the "age of machines." From the cash register to the safety pin, from the machine gun to the pocket protector, and from lawn tennis to the light bulb, Inventing the 19th Century is a fascinating, illustrative window into the Victorian Age.

"This well-illustrated, in-depth study will not only reward and amuse readers but will leave them with much insight into the economic and society-shaping outcomes of the American genius for invention."
--"Foreword Magazine"

"Makes an excellent readable reference work."
-- "New Scientist"

"Illustrated with diagrams from actual patent applications and organized into chapters on everything from babies, food, and wellness to entertainment, driving, and fashion, the book lives up to the author's promise."
--"Boston Globe"

"A collection of little-known facts."
--"Star Tribune - State Ed."

"An amazing showcase...An extremely well-researched and fascinating tour of American thrift and ingenuity throughout the twentieth century."
--"The Midwest Book Review"

"Van Dulken claims that a select number of these patents will offer us insight into the American dream itself. The book lives up to the author's promise."
--"Boston Sunday Globe"

"Van Dulken reels like a dotty old uncle with tales about Barbie's inventor, John "Jack" Ryan and a revelation of what a bald furby looks like. This book matches creative souls to their accomplishments."
--"/Crit/Books"

"This scholarly and fact-packed volume is an authority source for any aspiring inventor or designer who wants to protect an idea. His book is also a delight to anyone who enjoys obscurities and the nostalgia of inventions familiar."
--"Baltimore, MD Sun"

"Van Dulken once again demonstrates his skill for compiling an impressively thorough catalogue of inventions. Just below the surface of this winding narrative lie fascinating nuggets of information sure to delight both trivia seekers and historybuffs."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"A tour de force"
--"Design News"

"Van Dulken provides interesting historical facts that define the long-term impact of each eureka moment."
--"www.sciencenews.org"

Praise for Inventing the 20th Century

"Remarkable . . . Get the book for yourself. It'll hold you for many hours."
--"The Wall Street Journal"

"A fascinating compendium for trivia seekers."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"Highly entertaining . . . In addition to being able to tell a good story, van Dulken . . . easily assembles complex ideas from chemistry and engineering and makes them palatable for the lay person. Van Dulken has assembled a panoramic shapshot of the century. By giving us a picture of our past, van Dulken also presents our future."
--"Boston Globe"

"Amid the thicket of information, one sad lesson emerges: Inventors deserve a lot more recognition and money than they get."
--"I.D."

"There is a touch of whimsey to this approach....It's worth reading for the deails behind familiar products and the perspective involved in the development of practical technologies."
--"Bloomsbury Review"

Every American knows that Thomas Alva Edison's most famous invention was the light bulb, but who invented the pregnancy test? How was the airbag invented? How was the first computer patented? Stephen van Dulken examines the way inventions and patents such as these have helped to create the "American Dream."

Between 1911 and 1999, the number of registered U.S. patents rose from 1 million to 6 million. Showcasing dozens of those original patent drawings from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, American Inventions shows how trends in the history of theUnited States are reflected in the patent records. For example, the invention of the Frisbee dates back to 1920 when a Yale University student recalled throwing around the pie tins of the nearby Frisbie Baking Company, but it was not until 1948 that Fred Morrison and Warren Francioni capitalized on Americans' new-found fascination with flying saucers by applying for a patent on a plastic flying disk.

Van Dulken surveys the inventions and patents of the workplace, the home, the kitchen, the open road, and the beauty parlor, to name a few, to find the compelling stories and eureka moments in American history. From bobby pins to in-line skates, from the jukebox to the fax machine, American Inventions is a captivating catalog of the famous and not-so-famous contraptions that have shaped the American way of life.