The New York Times Book Review, Sara Ivry
For the most part, the color in Lindsay's small book far outweighs its deficits, making it a delightful, instructive collection.


From Book News, Inc.
Freelance writer Lindsay shares stories from the history of invention. Proceeding room-by-room (from bathroom to garage), he emphasizes the personalities responsible for 21 everyday objects--from Madame C.J. Walker's hair straightener to breakfast cereal (a result of Kellogg sibling rivalry) to the invention alleged to have been devised by the mythical Dr. Condom.Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Book Description
David Lindsay tours the typical American home, stopping in each room to examine the most taken-for-granted objects, and finds incredible stories behind even the most-overlooked items. In perhaps the most ignored room, the bathroom, he finds that Thomas Crapper did not in fact invent the flushable toilet, even though we've adopted both a verb and a noun from his name; that toothpaste, thankfully, finally replaced urine as a cleanser; that the inventor of Vaseline ate a spoonful of the stuff every day; and that (oddly) Germany ceded the brand name aspirin to the Allies as reparations for World War I. In the foyer we find the histories of the intercom and mailbox; in the kitchen we learn that the microwave oven came about because a chocolate bar melted in Percy Spencer's pocket as he walked by radar equipment. The office yields the mysteries behind pencils and ballpoint pens; Scotch tape and Post-its; and why the typewriter keyboard is organized as it is (hint: type the word typewriter). In the garage we rejoice over the genius of the standard screw thread, in the den we play with the Yo-Yo, and in the bedroom we unravel blue jeans, zippers, brassieres, and even condoms (first conceived by Gabriele Fallopia, he of the well-known-tubes fame). From the exploits of Clarence Birdseye (frozen food) to the ambitious schemes of Peter Cooper (gelatin dessert), from the absurdity of the Slinky to the complexity of the exercise machine, here are the most fascinating stories in the obsessive history of invention.


From the Back Cover
In House of Invention, David Lindsay shares the most fascinating stories in the obsessive history of invention, all within the typical American home. He stops in each room to examine the most taken-for-granted objects, and finds eccentric inventors lurking within every delightfully bizarre story of invention. The bathroom, for example, is a hotbed of innovation. We meet Gillette of disposable razor fame, who had grandiose utopian plans; the inventor of Vaseline - he actually ate a spoonful of the stuff each day; and the first woman millionaire. A visit to the kitchen takes us to the frigid North, where Clarence Birdseye was inspired, and into the odd psyches of the Kellogg brothers. In the foyer, we find the magical history of the intercom, the piratical origins of paper money, and the Houdini-like ascension of the king of locks. The office yields the origins of pencils; the roots of Muzak technology; and the debt we owe to Nikola Tesia. The garage shows us the genius of the standard screw thread, the patent-stealing of intermittent windshield wipers, and the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of the woman who invented the flat-bottomed paper bag. In the family room, we learn of the race for television's patent, about the violent inventor of the Nautilus machine, and of the pacifism that inspired solitaire. The bedroom boasts more personal inventions as we unravel the histories of the brassiere and even the condom. There is intrigue, suspense, fraud, rebellion, and more. No house should be without House of Invention, and no one interested in stories of genius and ingenuity and the extraordinary creation of ordinary objects should miss it. (51/4 X 71/2, 196 pages, illustrations)



About the Author
David Lindsay is the author of Madness in the Making: The Triumphant Rise and Untimely Fall of America's Show Inventors and The Patent Files: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Invention. He has contributed to publications such as The Wall Street Journal, American Heritage, The Village Voice, Biography, and New York Press.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In House of Invention, David Lindsay shares the most fascinating stories in the obsessive history of invention, all within the typical American home. He stops in each room to examine the most taken-for-granted objects, and finds eccentric inventors lurking within every delightfully bizarre story of invention. The bathroom, for example, is a hotbed of innovation. We meet Gillette of disposable razor fame, who had grandiose utopian plans; the inventor of Vaseline - he actually ate a spoonful of the stuff each day; and the first woman millionaire. A visit to the kitchen takes us to the frigid North, where Clarence Birdseye was inspired, and into the odd psyches of the Kellogg brothers. In the foyer, we find the magical history of the intercom, the piratical origins of paper money, and the Houdini-like ascension of the king of locks. The office yields the origins of pencils; the roots of Muzak technology; and the debt we owe to Nikola Tesia. The garage shows us the genius of the standard screw thread, the patent-stealing of intermittent windshield wipers, and the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of the woman who invented the flat-bottomed paper bag. In the family room, we learn of the race for television's patent, about the violent inventor of the Nautilus machine, and of the pacifism that inspired solitaire. The bedroom boasts more personal inventions as we unravel the histories of the brassiere and even the condom. There is intrigue, suspense, fraud, rebellion, and more. No house should be without House of Invention, and no one interested in stories of genius and ingenuity and the extraordinary creation of ordinary objects should miss it.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews

Freelance writer Lindsay shares stories from the history of invention. Proceeding room-by-room (from bathroom to garage), he emphasizes the personalities responsible for 21 everyday objectsfrom Madame C.J. Walker's hair straightener to breakfast cereal (a result of Kellogg sibling rivalry) to the invention alleged to have been devised by the mythical Dr. Condom. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sara Ivry - The New York Times Book Review