Robertson's Book of Firsts by Patrick Robertson

Robertson's Book of Firsts by Patrick Robertson

Patrick Robertson's compendium of inventions, breakthroughs, and other "first" events is a stunning achievement of over fifty years of research, collecting, and writing. Robertson writes with charm and fluency on a massive range of topics-the first computer, the first department store, the first black head of state (it's not who you think), and a seemingly limitless array of others. The United States, in particular, has been a cradle of innovation-44 percent of modern innovations, by his calculation-and Robertson has identified a first time in America for each entry. Comprehensive yet carefully curated, Robertson's Book of Firsts catalogs watershed events of social relevance. It includes major achievements, like the first women to serve in a regular army (bravo, Canada, and would you believe as early as 1906?), but not mere curiosities, like the first women to serve disguised as men. The result is a catalog of useful inventions and beginnings of trends, an index of American and global culture of a kind you can't get anywhere else. Handsomely designed, elegant, and effortless tind you can't get anywhere else. Handsomely designed, elegant, and effortless to read, this is both a work of essential reference and a beautiful gift for history buffs, scientists, inventors, and anyone with an inquiring mind.

ind you can't get anywhere else. Handsomely designed, elegant, and effortless tind you can't get anywhere else. Handsomely designed, elegant, and effortless to read, this is both a work of essential reference and a beautiful gift for history buffs, scientists, inventors, and anyone with an inquiring mind.

At the age of fourteen, Patrick Hickman Robertson began compiling his collection of firsts. Before settling down to a career at the BBC's cutting library, he continued his comprehensive research in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. The first edition of this book, The Shell Book of Firsts, was published in the United Kingdom in 1974 and quickly became a best-seller. Robertson is a Visiting Scholar at the University of North Carolina, the former head of the Ephemera Society, and the owner of the world's biggest private collection of antique periodicals.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781596915794
ISBN 10	159691579X
Title	Robertson's Book of Firsts
Author	Patrick Robertson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Microfilm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Year published	2011-11-11
Number of pages	576
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.