I got half way and had to put the book down before my brain melted. Some bits were interesting, but most of what I read was incredibly boring and overly verbose.
solid Harper-Collins / Vintage ebook from 1994; comparable to big six industry 'rewrite books' wherein doctorate or academic explains topic (in this case, engineering of household items) to layman's audience. paperclip, zipper, forks, wheelbarrow, you get the picture.perhaps not such as a smash hit...
I agree with the other reviewers who said that this book has a lot of fascinating information, but I couldn't enjoy it because the writing is so dry and stodgy.
As much as I like the biography of a thing idea, I'm afraid I didn't love this. I think Petroski just isn't my cuppa.