From the dust jacket:
Flint Flake to Supersonic Airliner
This book tries to give an account in a single volume of man's technical progress from the earliest times until today. Egon Larsen has brought to the job the experience of writing twenty previous books on inventions and inventors, scientists and discoverers, and a reputation as a reliable interpreter between specialist and layman.
He has divided the entire sphere of technical history into three main sections – Energy, Transport and Communications. He has fol- lowed up the most important trends of development, sketching in the historical and social background where necessary, and providing some biographical sidelights on many of the major pioneers of invention and engineering.
In this revised edition he has introduced the most recent developments, such as tidal power stations, magneto-hydrodynamics, the Forth and Tagus bridges, electric motor-cars and the new automatic Victoria Line on the London Underground. The latest trends in hovercraft and helicopter design are included, as well as communication satellites and teletype-setting for the printing industry. He discusses transistors and microcircuit computers, lasers and holography, automatic take-off and landing control for aircraft, radio astronomy, automated ships and mines, etc.
Seventy photographs and over a hundred drawings, both historical and explanatory, have been carefully chosen to illuminate the text. The illustrations range in period from ancient Egyptian sailing vessels to the supersonic jet- liner Concorde.
The result is a book which is comprehensive, entertaining and informative as well as up-to- date and accurate.
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