The Wheel: Inventions and Reinventions

Author:   Richard Bulliet
Publisher:   Columbia University Press
ISBN:  

9780231173384


Pages:   272
Publication Date:   19 January 2016
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Our Price $45.95 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The Wheel: Inventions and Reinventions


Add your own review!

Overview

In this book, Richard W. Bulliet focuses on three major phases in the evolution of the wheel and their relationship to the needs and ambitions of human society. He begins in 4000 B.C.E. with the first wheels affixed to axles. He then follows with the innovation of wheels turning independently on their axles and concludes five thousand years later with the caster, a single rotating and pivoting wheel. Bulliet's most interesting finding is that a simple desire to move things from place to place did not drive the wheel's development. If that were the case, the wheel could have been invented at any time almost anywhere in the world. By dividing the history of this technology into three conceptual phases and focusing on the specific men, women, and societies that brought it about, Bulliet expands the social, economic, and political significance of a tool we only partially understand. He underscores the role of gender, combat, and competition in the design and manufacture of wheels, adding vivid imagery to illustrate each stage of their development.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard Bulliet
Publisher:   Columbia University Press
Imprint:   Columbia University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 20.30cm
Weight:   0.567kg
ISBN:  

9780231173384


ISBN 10:   0231173385
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   19 January 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 1. Wheel Versus Wheel 2. Why Invent the Wheel? 3. A Square Peg in a Round Wheel 4. Home on the Range 5. Wheels for Show 6. The Rise and Demise of the Charioteer 7. The Princess Ride 8. The Carriage Revolution 9. Four Wheels in China 10. Rickshaw Cities 11. The Third Wheel Notes Glossary Further Reading Index

Reviews

This is a wonderful book, brimming at once with fascinating tales and with fundamental insights into the nature of invention. -- Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History, University of Pittsburgh A fascinating book. New Scientist This concise and well-executed work is technology history at its best... Simply excellent, this work will appeal not just to history readers but also to those interested in the social and cultural developments that both fuel and are fueled by technical changes. Library Journal (starred review)


This is a wonderful book, brimming at once with fascinating tales and with fundamental insights into the nature of invention. -- Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History, University of Pittsburgh A fascinating book. New Scientist


This is a wonderful book, brimming at once with fascinating tales and with fundamental insights into the nature of invention. -- Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History, University of Pittsburgh A fascinating book. New Scientist This concise and well-executed work is technology history at its best... Simply excellent, this work will appeal not just to history readers but also to those interested in the social and cultural developments that both fuel and are fueled by technical changes. Library Journal (starred review) A deft narrative. Nature A fine contribution to the history of transport. Journal of Interdisciplinary History Bulliet brings a fresh view to a story that interests many: the invention of the wheel, providing new and interesting details about when and why the wheel was first adopted. -- Hermione Giffard History Today


This is a wonderful book, brimming at once with fascinating tales and with fundamental insights into the nature of invention. -- Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History, University of Pittsburgh


Author Information

Richard W. Bulliet taught Middle Eastern history and the history of technology at Columbia University from 1976 to 2015. He is the author of Cotton, Climate, and Camels in Early Islamic Iran: A Moment in World History; Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers: The Past and Future of Human-Animal Relationships; The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization; Islam: The View from the Edge; and The Camel and the Wheel.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

Aorrng

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List