The Most Powerful Idea in the World

Expect to take your time with Rosen's lengthy history of steam power--which proves to be more engaging than you might expect. Michael Prichard brings the necessary gravitas to a narrative that puts its subject into a 10,000 year perspective, and, in fact, this is a history of invention itself, and why certain times, places, and conditions favor it. James Watt is the central figure, but a long chain of inventors play their parts. Only a professional like Prichard could maintain the pace and cohesion of so expansive a story, but he really should not attempt a Scottish accent. For history buffs and the technically minded, this title will be a favorite. But it is aimed at, and deserves, a wider audience. Especially interesting, considering the debate over property rights in the current film THE SOCIAL NETWORK, is this book's historical survey of patent rights and the ever-thorny issue of "discovery." D.A.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine