Henry Petroski looks at the pencil and cites it as a prime example of elegant design and engineering with much to say about the world of modern technology. He includes facts such as that a single pencil could draw a line 70 miles long, and that Hemingway and Steinbeck wrote novels in pencil.
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Henry Petroski looks at the pencil and cites it as a prime example of elegant design and engineering with much to say about the world of modern technology. He includes facts such as that a single pencil could draw a line 70 miles long, and that Hemingway and Steinbeck wrote novels in pencil.
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Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $2.96, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $2.96, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $3.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $3.25, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $3.82, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $5.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $5.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pencil: a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $5.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Pencil a History of Design and Circumstance to cart. $8.37, good condition, Sold by The Book Cellar rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Nashua, NH, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Alfred A. Knopf.
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Good. Size: 5x0x9; Ex-Library copy, Has Heavy shelf wear, but still a good reading copy A portion of your purchase of this book will be donated to non-profit organizations. Over 1, 000, 000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders.
If you have a smidgen of curiosity -- if you ask, 'Why would anyone write about such a boring subject?', or 'Why pick that title?' -- pick up this book. As long as you have any interest in history, technology, people, blind spots, or just excellent -- no, make that superb -- writing, you will enjoy this book. You may even, as I did, put Henry Petroski on your list of favorite authors (between Donald Norman and Geoffrey Parker, perhaps). Lenin, Thoreau, and others appear in the pages, almost the way Hamlet does in _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_; yet the motivating force behind the story remains exactly what the title promises, in understated, wry humor that the author shares with the reader. Even if you end up only tolerating the topic, the writing cannot be bettered; crates of editorial blue pencils could not improve upon Petroski's substance, style, and wit.
