Sometime about 30,000 years ago, somebody stuck a sharp rock into a split stick--and presto! The axe was born. Our inquisitive species just loves tinkering, testing, and pushing the limits, and this delightfully different book is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs, notions, and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history. From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, "An Uncommon History of Common Things" features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as ...
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Sometime about 30,000 years ago, somebody stuck a sharp rock into a split stick--and presto! The axe was born. Our inquisitive species just loves tinkering, testing, and pushing the limits, and this delightfully different book is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs, notions, and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history. From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, "An Uncommon History of Common Things" features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as it explores just about every subject under the sun. Who knew that indoor plumbing has been around for 4,600 years, but punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words only date back to the Dark Ages? Or that ancient soldiers baked a kind of pizza on their shields--when they weren't busy flying kites to frighten their foes? Every page of this quirky compendium catalogs something fascinating, surprising, or serendipitous. A lively, incomparably browsable read for history buffs, pop culture lovers, and anyone who relishes the odd and extraordinary details hidden in the everyday, it will inform, amuse, astonish--and alter the way you think about the clever creatures we call humans. "From the Hardcover edition."
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Add this copy of An Uncommon History of Common Things to cart. $39.00, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2009 by National Geographic Society.
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Seller's Description:
New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations, color. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of An Uncommon History of Common Things to cart. $44.38, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2009 by National Geographic Society.
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Seller's Description:
New. Some 30, 000 years ago, deep in the prehistory of humankind, an individual crammed a sharpened stone into a split in a sturdy piece of wood-and found that this new handled axe made quicker work of cutting than a hand-held rock alone. This work is suitable for history buffs, pop culture lovers and seekers of littleknown lore. Num Pages: 304 pages, 525 colour photographs. BIC Classification: GBC; HBG; TBY. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 251 x 197 x 29. Weight in Grams: 1100. 2009. Hardcover.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of Uncommon History of Common Things, an to cart. $18.88, new condition, Sold by MEADOWLANDMEDIA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from fayetteville, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by National Geographic.
Add this copy of An Uncommon History of Common Things to cart. $80.08, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by National Geographic.
Add this copy of An Uncommon History of Common Things to cart. $35.74, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by National Geographic Society.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations, color. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of An Uncommon History of Common Things Format: Hardcover to cart. $35.75, new condition, Sold by indoo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Avenel, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by National Geographic Society.
Add this copy of Uncommon History of Common Things, an to cart. $69.91, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by National Geographic.
This book is full of information and extremely interesting to read. I find it hard to put down! Needless to say, I find the topics great conversation pieces.
