Paperboy by Henry Petroski

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Paperboy by Henry Petroski

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Paperboy by Henry Petroski

Anyone wondering what sort of experience prepares one for a future as an engineer may be surprised to learn that it includes delivering newspapers. But as Henry Petroski recounts his youth in 1950s Queens, New York-a borough of handball games and inexplicably numbered streets-he winningly shows how his after-school job amounted to a prep course in practical engineering.

Petroksi's paper was The Long Island Press, whose headlines ran to COP SAVES OLD WOMAN FROM THUG and DiMAG SAYS BUMS CAN'T WIN SERIES. Folding it into a tube suitable for throwing was an exercise in post-Euclidean geometry. Maintaining a Schwinn revealed volumes about mechanics. Reading Paperboy, we also learn about the hazing rituals of its namesakes, the aesthetics of kitchen appliances, and the delicate art of penny-pitching. With gratifying reflections on these and other lessons of a bygone era-lessons about diligence, labor, and community-mindedness-Paperboy is a piece of Americana to cherish and reread.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780375718984
ISBN 10 0375718982
Title Paperboy
Author Henry Petroski
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Random House USA Inc
Year published 2003-04-08
Number of pages 384
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.