Gadgets and Necessities: An Encyclopedia of Household Innovations

This book was waiting for me when I got home one evening. On opening the package my first thought was “Here is another fun public library book” but on reading just a few entries that caught my eye I realised it was a lot more than that. I continued dipping about over the next few days. Once I had finished my current book‐for‐journeys, I took this encyclopedia with me on the train and read the preface and introduction. These confirmed what I had already come to suspect, that behind the apparently light‐hearted façade this was a serious book. It is...