Brief Histories of Everyday Objects

August 15, 2016
In this history lesson about the mundane, Warner’s fascination is with the daily objects that clutter your bathroom, bedroom, office, bar, and all the places you frequent without even noticing you’re there. Each strip in this webcomic collection is a breezy romp as Warner recounts the histories of objects such as toothbrushes, toilets, and billiard balls with a tongue-in-cheek wit and glee for some of the more disgusting elements in their origins. Warner reveals in his illustration of an early toothbrush, for instance, a bone with animal hair as bristles. He’s equally interested in the chaos that often follows entrepreneurial initiatives, and each strip, though brief, has the power of a parable, outlining how some inventors were cheated, fell into greed, or used their wealth to attempt to fund new, even quirkier endeavors—like flying off to Bolivia to become a missionary or attempting to build a utopia. Warner is a deft cartoonist, able to convey a lot of information, humor, and emotion within a single panel.

October 15, 2016
Even the most commonplace items can have a fascinating backstory that belies their mundane familiarity. Comics journalist Warner has expanded his webcomic series into a book-length collection that humorously recounts the creation of dozens of products found around the house. The book is chock-full of the sort of revelations that will reward readers at trivia nights and in barroom betting. The first sports bra was made from two jockstraps sewn together. Paper clips, a Norwegian invention, became a sign of resistance during the Nazi occupation. In 1945, the newly invented ballpoint pen drew a mob of 5,000 to Gimbel's, which sold its entire stock of 10,000 pens at $12.50 a pop. Perhaps the most significant takeaway from Warner's research is the unheralded contributions of African Americans and women; for instance, a black inventor patented the three-position traffic signal, and coffee filters and paper bags were devised by women. Warner's brashly humorous drawings and admittedly invented dialogue make this the most delightfully irreverent illustrated history lesson since Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe (1990).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)