Leonardo to the Internet: Technology and Culture from the Renaissance to the Present Book

This book obviously covers a much wider swath of the history of technology than Cowan's book I just reviewed, touching on technology everywhere from Renaissance Italy to colonial India to contemporary Thailand, so it must perforce focus on certain illustrative stories. Unfortunately, not every story is equally well done and the author has a tendency towards preachiness. Yet most examples are illuminating. Learning about how the Dutch Herring Bus ship of the 17th century operated like a mini-factory in the North Sea showed me how industrialization happened everywhere, and learning how the recently installed telegraph was essential to British troops putting down the 1857 Indian Mutiny showed me how even primitive technologies could shape the entirety of history. So, despite some faults, this book provides much to think about.