The Toothpick: Technology and Culture Book

Preface     xi
Prologue     3
The Oldest Habit     6
Artifacts and Texts     12
Sucksacks and Whiskers     20
Poor Goose!     25
Out of the Woods     36
Made in Portugal     42
Charles Forster in Pernambuco     48
From Pegs to Riches     59
A Family Affair     74
Going Where the Wood Is     84
An Article for the Million     96
Advice and Dissent     112
The Nasty Instrument     124
The Toothpick Man     140
Cords of Paper Birch     160
Trade Secrets and Closed Doors     173
Other Toothpicks     192
New Uses for Old     202
Maurice, Oscar, and the Industry     211
The Tragic Heiress     223
Exeunt Oscar and Maurice     231
Foreign Affairs     241
Old Gold and Good Wood     257
Boxed and Unboxed     267
Woodpeckers and Other Dispensers     279
Talking Round a Toothpick     290
The Fatal Martini     308
Improving on Perfection     320
The Butler Did It     330
Epilogue     347
Notes     355
Acknowledgments     415
Illustrations and Credits     421
Index     425