The Book of Invention + The Book of War

Two Books Offering an Overview of Human Creativity and Conflict

Jan 22, 2009

Over the centuries, mankind has demonstrated both incredible ingenuity and incredible cruelty. In 2008, Tess Press released two books highlighting both "achievements".

The Book of Invention (Tess Press, 2008) by Thomas J. Craughwell and The Book of War (Tess Press, 2008) by Dwight Jon Zimmerman offer readers a remarkable summary and comparison of the best and worst that the human mind has engineered.

Over the course of human history, individuals have devised a seemingly endless number of objects to enhance and simplify daily life. From the earliest records of basic tools for hunting and cooking, to modern inventions such as global positioning systems, the internet and the personal computer, people have turned their ideas into reality and shared the results with others.

While many of the inventions included in The Book of Invention have value as items of entertainment, creativity or relaxation, the primary focus of the book is to highlight inventions in the areas of science and technology that have impacted on the practicalities of everyday life.

Spanning a time frame from 30,000 BC (paint) to 1984 (DNA fingerprinting), The Book of Invention includes a full-page entry for each invention as well as a full-page image. The information provided includes details of the initial invention, subsequent developments and uses, complications encountered in either a practical or legal sense and random interesting facts.

Profiled inventions include the boomerang, pottery, square-bottomed paper bag, matches, odometer, elastic fabric, hearing aids, turn and brake signals and Geiger counter. A significant majority of the more than 250 profiled inventions were invented by American or in America.

In contrast to the encouraging and inspiring discoveries of the companion title, The Book of War showcases the worst of world history. Beginning with the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC, the first battle in history to be recorded in detail, The Book of War contains details of more than 240 wars, battles, skirmishes, strategies, military offensives, weapons and profiles of significant military commanders.

Each double-paged entry includes a full page of information and a photographic, painted image of the battlefield or portrait.

Profiled military leaders include Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, Napoleon I, George Washington, Isoruku Yamamoto, George S. Patton Jr., Giuseppe Garibaldi, Sun Tzu,Sitting Bull and Paul von Hindenburg. Weapon and weaponry entries include mines, radar, poison gas, night vision device, plastic explosives, tanks, the Brown Bess musket, trebuchet, torpedos and submarines.

In addition to overviews of significant battles and conflicts, individual military offensives such as the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 are specifically profiled. As with any overview, there are a number of events that have not been included, such as the “Dambusters” bombings of 1943 and the breaking of the Enigma code, and the book does not have significant coverage of modern warfare. There are only 18 entries covering the years from 1969 to 2003, including eight entries for weapons or weaponry and a profile of H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.

From “Eureka” Moments to Painful Memories

As companion titles, The Book of Invention and The Book of War work together well to emphasise both the creative and destructive potential of the human mind. The books are very accessible and readable summaries of their topics and can be easily delved into randomly or read in sequence. Both titles include a cross-referenced index.

These books are sure to appeal to those interested in science and technology and/or world history as well as anyone looking to improve their general knowledge. While not adequate for use as a comprehensive text of military events or technological advancements, the books do offer readers a well-presented overview of their focus topics.

The copyright of the article The Book of Invention + The Book of War in History Books is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish The Book of Invention + The Book of War in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.