Random House New Releases - Technology - Between November 29, 2008 and December 29, 2009.

The Potteries by David Sekers

2009-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

The Potteries
Written by David Sekers

The Potteries is the name given to the industrial area in the English Midlands that was home to hundreds of pottery-making companies and until recently supllied most of the country's crockery and decorative ceramics.

Although generations of collectors have studied the products of these companies, the story of the industry behind is rarely told. Yet no British industry was ever so concentrated, so polluting, and then so transformed. No industrial skyline was ever more memorable than the forest of bottle ovens that used to dominate the skyline of Stoke-on-Trent. An entirely revised and re-illustrated edition of a classic Shire title, this is the perfect introduction to the industrial history of the potteries, its major firms and the men and women who produced pottery for Britain and the world.

British Pigs by Val Porter

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

British Pigs
Written by Val Porter

Not so long ago, there were local British pigs of every size, color and shape. Over the centuries different localities had developed their own tastes in what their pigs should look like - often colored pigs in the Midlands, black ones in the southern countries and white ones in the north - and every county had its own 'breed'. But as urban populations exploded and needed to be fed from the countryside, pig breeders became selective and scientific, concentrating on productivity. Today most of the colorful old local breeds have disappeared; now only three of four highly commercial breeds and a handful of rare breeds remain of that once splendid diversity. This book describes these breeds and how they developed; it also looks at some of the evocatively named extinct pigs and at foreign breeds now being imported.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Richard Tames

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Written by Richard Tames

The famous son of a famous father, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was acknowledged in his own lifetime as the greatest engineer in an era of engineering titans. He helped drive the first tunnel under a navigable river, built the first all iron ship, bridged the Tamar and Avon, constructed the first railway to run express services and launched the world's first true luxury liner - a vessel five times bigger than any previously attempted. Success was often bought at a high price - in money and men's lives. Brunel himself was nearly drowned in his father's Thames Tunnel. Over a hundred laborers were killed excavating Box Tunnel on the Great Western Railway. The Great Eastern bankrupted its backers. Brunel's experimental 'gaz engine' and atmospheric railway both proved costly failures. He died knowing only that the maiden voyage of the Great Eastern had ended in disaster and that the Clifton suspension bridge, his first major triumph was still uncompleted. In 2002 Brunel was voted second in a BBC poll of the ten greatest Britons of all time. This is his story.

Lead and Leadmining by Lynn Willies

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Lead and Leadmining
Written by Lynn Willies

Leadmining was an important industry in Britain from the time of the Romans until the late nineteenth century - its remains are to be found scattered in and under the hills of Cornwall, Devon, the Mendips, the Pennines, the Lake District, Wales, the Isle of Man and Scotland. From the thousands of early small mines, worked generally under medieval laws, leadmining by the eighteenth century was forced to use capital-intensive methods to cope with deeper deposits and great inflows of water, including very long levels and steam engines. Lead smelters, too, had to adapt and developed new furnaces and used spectacular flues and chimneys in otherwise wild landscapes to reduce pollution problems. By the 1880s, however, imports killed the industry - and only three mines have been successful since, all now closed. Today, and for the foreseeable future, lead ore production in Britain is only a by-product of mining for other minerals.

Quarries and Quarrying by Peter Stanier

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

Quarries and Quarrying
Written by Peter Stanier

Whether they are still operational or long abandoned, quarries are often dismissed as eyesores. Despite this, they can be fascinating to visit, and provide an interesting link to a once powerful and necessary industry. Although the Romans worked quarries, it was not until the middle-ages that the industry became established on a large scale. It then achieved its height during the nineteenth century in response to industrialization and the associated demand for stone. The book deals with the extraction methods of various types of stone and the rise and slow decline of quarrying across the UK. While telling the history of quarrying it also covers some of the most famous and notable quarrying sites.

The Silk Industry by Sarah Bush

2009-10-20T00:30:00-05:00

The Silk Industry
Written by Sarah Bush

Silk was first developed in ancient China as early as 2600 BC and over the centuries to follow it gradually spread first to South East Asia and then to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe along the silk route, becoming established in England in the fourteenth century. The early centers of the English silk industry, Spitalfields, Norwich and Cantebury, benefitted from the arrival of the Dutch or Huguenot silk workers and in 1718 the first factory system for producing silk was begun in Derby. This book traces the legendary silk route from China to the UK and explores the developments in silk production once it reached Europe, the changes to the loom, the popularity of silk clothing, and the industry's struggle with the removal of tariff protection. After reaching its peak in 1850, the industry began to decline with the introduction of Cobden's Free Trade Treaty of 1860 and was further diminished by the advent of artificial silk. Sarah Bush guides us through the ups and downs of the silk industry and provides a perfect introduction to the history of this ancient process.

Our Own Devices by Edward Tenner

2009-08-26T00:30:00-05:00

Our Own Devices How Technology Remakes Humanity
Written by Edward Tenner

From the author of Why Things Bite Back– which introduced us to the revenge antics of technology–Our Own Devices is a wonderfully revealing look at the inventions of everyday things that protect us, position us, or enhance our performance.

In helping and hurting us, these body technologies have produced consequences that their makers never intended:
• In postwar Japan traditional sandals gave way to Western-style shoes because they were considered marks of a higher standard of living, but they seriously increased the rate of fungal foot ailments.
• Reclining chairs, originally promoted for healthful brief relaxation, became symbols of the sedentary life and obesity.
• A keyboard that made the piano easier to learn failed in the marketplace mainly because professional pianists believed difficult passages needed to stay difficult.
• Helmets, reintroduced during the carnage of World War I, saved the lives of countless civilian miners, construction workers, and, more recently, bicyclists.

Once we step on the treadmill of progress, it’s hard to step off. Yet Edward Tenner shows that human ingenuity can be applied in self-preservation as well, and he sheds light on the ways in which the users of commonplace technology surprise designers and engineers, as when early typists developed the touch method still employed on today’s keyboards. And he offers concrete advice for reaping benefits from the devices that we no longer seem able to live without. Although dependent on these objects, we can also use them to liberate ourselves. This delightful and instructive history of invention shows why National Public Radio dubbed Tenner “the philosopher of everyday technology.”

From the Hardcover edition.

Bricks and Brickmaking by Martin Hammond

2009-08-18T00:30:00-05:00

Bricks and Brickmaking
Written by Martin Hammond

Bricks were introduced to Britain by the Romans and reintroduced by Flemish craftsmen in the middle ages. Until the early nineteenth century they were made in numerous small brickyards supplying local needs, but eventually increasing demand led to the invention of improved brickmaking machines and kilns. This book gives an insight into the surprising variety of bricks, as well as a brief history of brickmaking, descriptions of hand and machine moulding, drying, the use of kilns and firing. Despite competition from newer materials, brick still holds its own as a facing material and traditional methods still survive in the smaller yards.

British Sheep Breeds by Elizabeth Henson

2009-06-23T00:30:00-05:00

British Sheep Breeds
Written by Elizabeth Henson

There are over thirty million sheep in Britain belonging to more than sixty different breeds. They are almost as varied in shape, color and size as the many breeds of dog, but are far less well-known. The sheep industry in Britain is based on a stratified system which makes the best use of the harsh mountains of Scotland, Wales and northern England, as well as of the more fertile and mild regions of southern Britain. It has helped to develop a rich range of specialist regional breed types. This book places the breeds into intelligible groups by outlining the way the national industry works, classifying their different roles and determining where each breed fits into an overall picture. Each breed and its wool is featured and illustrated with an extensive collection of pictures.

The One-Straw Revolution by Frances Moore Lappe

2009-06-02T00:30:00-05:00

The One-Straw Revolution An Introduction to Natural Farming
Written by Masanobu Fukuoka
Preface by Wendell Berry
Afterword by Masanobu Fukuoka
Translated by Larry Korn
Introduction by Frances Moore Lappe

Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.”

Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort.

Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.

Being Digital by Penn Jillette

2009-05-26T00:30:00-05:00

Being Digital
Written by Nicholas Negroponte
Read by Penn Jillette

Abridged Audiobook Download | Random House Audio | Technology - Telecommunications | $9.00 | May 26, 2009 | 978-0-307-70453-5 (0-307-70453-X)

In lively, mordantly witty prose, Negroponte decodes the mysteries--and debunks the hype--surrounding bandwidth, multimedia, virtual reality, and the Internet, and explains why such touted innovations as the fax and the CD-ROM are likely to go the way of the BetaMax. "Succinct and readable. . . . If you suffer from digital anxiety . . . here is a book that lays it all out for you."--Newsday.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Pixar Touch by David A. Price

2009-05-05T00:30:00-05:00

The Pixar Touch
Written by David A. Price

Trade Paperback, 320 pages | Vintage | Business & Economics; Technology; Performing Arts - Animation | $16.00 | May 5, 2009 | 978-0-307-27829-6 (0-307-27829-8)

The Pixar Touch is a lively chronicle of Pixar Animation Studios' history and evolution, and the “fraternity of geeks” who shaped it. With the help of animating genius John Lasseter and visionary businessman Steve Jobs, Pixar has become the gold standard of animated filmmaking, beginning with a short special effects shot made at Lucasfilm in 1982 all the way up through the landmark films Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and others. David A. Price goes behind the scenes of the corporate feuds between Lasseter and his former champion, Jeffrey Katzenberg, as well as between Jobs and Michael Eisner. And finally he explores Pixar's complex relationship with the Walt Disney Company as it transformed itself into the $7.4 billion jewel in the Disney crown.

Corn Milling by Martin Watts

2009-04-21T00:30:00-05:00

Corn Milling
Written by Martin Watts

Corn milling, the reduction of hard cereal grains to form a usable foodstuff, is one of the oldest and most necessary crafts. While windmills and watermills are given deserved notice, the milling process and the modern development of the industry are usually taken for granted. The history of milling is exceptional in the necessity of the process and its continuing importance, and its unique buildings and machines, which had a marked effect on contemporary technology. With increased interest in wholesome foods, energy conservation and the preservation of technological history, the milling industry is in a unique position, with both traditional and modern mills presenting a working picture of the industry.

Nailmaking by Hugh Bodey

2009-04-21T00:30:00-05:00

Nailmaking
Written by Hugh Bodey

Today, nails are such an ordinary and widespread object that it may come as a surprise to learn that the range of shapes and sizes available now is but a fraction of those made in the nineteenth century. This illustrated account charts the history of nailmaking, from the Romans, through the middle ages, to the industry of the nineteenth century and the factories of the twentieth, relating the fluctuating demand for nails and nailers to the social and political context of the time, and explaining the types of nail made and the development of nailmaking methods over the years.

Wagons and Carts by David Viner

2009-04-21T00:30:00-05:00

Wagons and Carts
Written by David Viner

The slow-paced wagons and carts of yesteryear can provide clues into the way past rural communities lived and worked. The varying landscape of the British Isles created different agricultural demands, and this is reflected in the extremely localized design and craftsmanship of pastoral vehicles. This book explores the origins of wagon design, and describes the specific uses of these vehicles across Britain, drawing on a wide range of colloquial words, and providing a list of places where surviving wagons and carts can be found. Detailed line drawings and photographs complete this nostalgic account of regional diversity in a bygone age.

Coachbuilding by Jonathan Wood

2009-03-24T00:30:00-05:00

Coachbuilding
Written by Jonathan Wood

This account examines the history of coachbuilding, beginning with the coachbuilders who for generations had built horse-drawn wooden carriages, and then explaining how they turned their craft to building the bodywork of the first motorised cars. Using photographs of the different stages of coachbuilding, the author describes the materials, equipment and key techniques involved. Today the profession of coachbuilding is almost a lost art, yet as the restoration of vintage cars seeks to keep the trade alive, this book reflects back on the heyday of the coachbuilt motor car and the skilled workers that made it their craft.

Rope, Twine and Net Making by Anthony Sanctuary

2009-01-20T00:30:00-05:00

Rope, Twine and Net Making
Written by Anthony Sanctuary

Since ancient times rope, twine and nets have been used for the essential elements of survival hunting, roofing and bedding yet in today¹s modern world they are often taken for granted. This book charts the history of the ancient crafts of rope, twine and net making, describing the traditional fibres and techniques used, as well as the modern machines and man-made fibres that took their place. With a detailed explanation of the skills of net fitting and rigging, and a list of places to visit, this Shire classic is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs showing how the methods of rope, twine and net making have evolved over the years.

Tomorrow Now by Bruce Sterling

2008-12-10T00:30:00-05:00

Tomorrow Now Envisioning the Next 50 Years
Written by Bruce Sterling

“Nobody knows better than Bruce Sterling how thin the membrane between science fiction and real life has become, a state he correctly depicts as both thrilling and terrifying in this frisky, literate, clear-eyed sketch of the next half-century. Like all of the most interesting futurists, Sterling isn’t just talking about machines and biochemistry: what he really cares about are the interstices of technology with culture and human history.” -Kurt Andersen, author of Turn of the Century

Visionary author Bruce Sterling views the future like no other writer. In his first nonfiction book since his classic The Hacker Crackdown, Sterling describes the world our children might be living in over the next fifty years and what to expect next in culture, geopolitics, and business.

Time calls Bruce Sterling “one of America’s best-known science fiction writers and perhaps the sharpest observer of our media-choked culture working today in any genre.” Tomorrow Now is, as Sterling wryly describes it, “an ambitious, sprawling effort in thundering futurist punditry, in the pulsing vein of the futurists I’ve read and admired over the years: H. G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Alvin Toffler; Lewis Mumford, Reyner Banham, Peter Drucker, and Michael Dertouzos. This book asks the future two questions: What does it mean? and How does it feel? ”

Taking a cue from one of William Shakespeare’s greatest soliloquies, Sterling devotes one chapter to each of the seven stages of humanity: birth, school, love, war, politics, business, and old age. As our children progress through Sterling’s Shakespearean life cycle, they will encounter new products; new weapons; new crimes; new moral conundrums, such as cloning and genetic alteration; and new political movements, which will augur the way wars of the future will be fought.

Here are some of the author’s predictions:

• Human clone babies will grow into the bitterest and surliest adolescents ever.
• Microbes will be more important than the family farm.
• Consumer items will look more and more like cuddly, squeezable pets.
• Tomorrow’s kids will learn more from randomly clicking the Internet than they ever will from their textbooks.
• Enemy governments will be nice to you and will badly want your tourist money, but global outlaws will scheme to kill you, loudly and publicly, on their Jihad TVs.
• The future of politics is blandness punctuated with insanity.
The future of activism belongs to a sophisticated, urbane global network that can make money—the Disney World version of Al Qaeda.

Tomorrow Now will change the way you think about the future and our place in it.

From the Hardcover edition.

Random House New Releases - Technology - Between November 29, 2008 and December 29, 2009.

The Potteries by David Sekers

The Potteries Written by David Sekers

British Pigs by Val Porter

British Pigs Written by Val Porter

Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Richard Tames

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Written by Richard Tames

Lead and Leadmining by Lynn Willies

Lead and Leadmining Written by Lynn Willies

Quarries and Quarrying by Peter Stanier

Quarries and Quarrying Written by Peter Stanier

The Silk Industry by Sarah Bush

The Silk Industry Written by Sarah Bush

Our Own Devices by Edward Tenner

Our Own Devices How Technology Remakes HumanityWritten by Edward Tenner

Bricks and Brickmaking by Martin Hammond

Bricks and Brickmaking Written by Martin Hammond

British Sheep Breeds by Elizabeth Henson

British Sheep Breeds Written by Elizabeth Henson

The One-Straw Revolution by Frances Moore Lappe

The One-Straw Revolution An Introduction to Natural FarmingWritten by Masanobu Fukuoka Preface by Wendell Berry Afterword by Masanobu Fukuoka Translated by Larry Korn Introduction by Frances Moore Lappe

Being Digital by Penn Jillette

Being Digital Written by Nicholas Negroponte Read by Penn Jillette

The Pixar Touch by David A. Price

The Pixar Touch Written by David A. Price

Corn Milling by Martin Watts

Corn Milling Written by Martin Watts

Nailmaking by Hugh Bodey

Nailmaking Written by Hugh Bodey

Wagons and Carts by David Viner

Wagons and Carts Written by David Viner

Coachbuilding by Jonathan Wood

Coachbuilding Written by Jonathan Wood

Rope, Twine and Net Making by Anthony Sanctuary

Rope, Twine and Net Making Written by Anthony Sanctuary

Tomorrow Now by Bruce Sterling

Tomorrow Now Envisioning the Next 50 YearsWritten by Bruce Sterling

The Potteries
Written by David Sekers

British Pigs
Written by Val Porter

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Written by Richard Tames

Lead and Leadmining
Written by Lynn Willies

Quarries and Quarrying
Written by Peter Stanier

The Silk Industry
Written by Sarah Bush

Our Own Devices How Technology Remakes Humanity
Written by Edward Tenner

Bricks and Brickmaking
Written by Martin Hammond

British Sheep Breeds
Written by Elizabeth Henson

The One-Straw Revolution An Introduction to Natural Farming
Written by Masanobu Fukuoka
Preface by Wendell Berry
Afterword by Masanobu Fukuoka
Translated by Larry Korn
Introduction by Frances Moore Lappe

Being Digital
Written by Nicholas Negroponte
Read by Penn Jillette

The Pixar Touch
Written by David A. Price

Corn Milling
Written by Martin Watts

Nailmaking
Written by Hugh Bodey

Wagons and Carts
Written by David Viner

Coachbuilding
Written by Jonathan Wood

Rope, Twine and Net Making
Written by Anthony Sanctuary

Tomorrow Now Envisioning the Next 50 Years
Written by Bruce Sterling