Shock Of The Old: Technology and Global History since 1900

The book "Shock of the Old" challenges the conventional view of technology history by highlighting the significance of old inventions and their impact on society. It argues that we live in a period of constant change, not an era of endless progress, and encourages readers to think critically about the technology they use.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2019
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

GuardianStandard histories of technology often present a tired account of the usual inventions, inventors, and dates, portraying technology as an inevitable march of progress. They divide history into distinct ages, such as electrification, motorization, and computerization, and rarely delve into whether these inventions were actually utilized during their respective times. Shock of the Old is a refreshing departure from such narratives. While letters coexist alongside emails and outlasted telegrams, we still produce physical books and magazines in the age of the Internet, a belated development considering that the technologies enabling it were invented in 1965. Bookshops continue to thrive despite the presence of Amazon. Surprisingly, more horses were used in the Second World War than in any other war in history, and propeller planes continue to take off from the same runways as jets. Shock of the Old compels us to reassess the significance of old inventions like corrugated iron and sewing machines and reevaluate the relative importance we place on the invention of something new, its application, and its widespread adoption. It challenges the notion that we live in an era of constant change and, through the interweaving of political, economic, and cultural history, teaches us to think critically about technology.

Weight: 252g
Dimension: 198 x 134 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788163088
Edition number: Main