Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century

Fenichell, Stephen

ISBN 10: 0887308627 / ISBN 13: 9780887308628

Editore: HarperBusiness, 1997

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THE ASCENDING HISTORY OF PLASTIC, FROM BAKELITE THROUGH TUPPLEWARE TO THE MANY NEW USES OF THIS MIRACULOUS SUBSTANCE. Codice articolo 003772

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Titolo: Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century

Casa editrice: HarperBusiness

Data di pubblicazione: 1997

Legatura: Soft cover

Condizione: Very Good

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Riassunto:

From artificial hearts to pink flamingos, kevlar vests to credit cards, plastic has invaded every aspect of modern life. Surpassing wood, cotton, steel and glass in all categories (except possibly good taste), it is more than just a product of modern society: it has revolutionized our entire way of life.

Plastic traces the obscure origins of synthetic materials to present: a century's worth of information on the fascinating inventors, speculators and designers who ushered in the plastic invasion. Among the colorful characters: John Wesley Harding, who pursued a quixotic quest to create the perfect billiard ball; and Wallace Carothers, who committed suicide just as the sexual revolution was about to be ushered in by his creation, nylon stockings. Written in the tradition of James Womack's The Machine that Changed the World, this is a fresh and eminently entertaining look at an ubiquitous and nearly indestructible substance, and the way it has shaped our world.