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To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design

by Henry Petroski

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Review:

"Reading Petroski's fine book is not only a delight, it is a necessity." Houston Chronicle

Review:

"[A] gem of a book....[I]n marvelously clear prose, he gives valuable insight into the limits of engineering and its practitioners." Library Journal

Synopsis:

How did a simple design error cause one of the great disasters of the 1980s — the collapse of the walkways at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel? What made the graceful and innovative Tacoma Narrows Bridge twist apart in a mild wind in 1940? How did an oversized waterlily inspire the magnificent Crystal Palace, the crowning achievement of Victorian architecture and engineering? These are some of the failures and successes that Henry Petroski, author of the acclaimed The Pencil, examines in this engaging, wonderfully literate book. More than a series of fascinating case studies, To Engineer Is Human is a work that looks at our deepest notions of progress and perfection, tracing the fine connection between the quantifiable realm of science and the chaotic realities of everyday life.

Description:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [233]-244).
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679734161
Subtitle:
The Role of Failure in Successful Design
Author:
Petroski, Henry
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Engineering - Civil
Subject:
Engineering - General
Subject:
Technology
Subject:
Industrial Design - General
Subject:
Engineering design
Subject:
Graphics and design
Subject:
System failures (engineering)
Subject:
System failures.
Subject:
Civil
Copyright:
1985
Edition Description:
1st Vintage Books ed. with a new afterword
Series Volume:
t. 2
Publication Date:
March 1992
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
272
Dimensions:
8.06x5.20x.56 in. .56 lbs.
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