History of Mechanical Inventions (Usher - Revised ed.)

Author: Abbott Payson Usher

ISBN: 9780486255934

Binding: paperback

Section: History

In this completely revised and enlarged edition of a classic work in the history of technology, a noted scholar explores the importance of technological innovation in the cultural and economic history of the West. Following an introductory discussion of the place of technology in economic history, the author offers a penetrating historical analysis of social change, developing a theory of invention based on Gestalt psychology and a concept of social evolution as continuous development from antiquity to the present, with emphasis on the role of economic forces and scientific concepts in the development of technology.