Invention: A Life

(Hardback)

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Dyson has become a byword for high performing products, technology, design and invention. Now, James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life.

Famously, over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of the cyclonic vacuum cleaner that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In devoting all his resources to iteratively developing the technology, he risked it all, but out ofmany failures and setbacks came hard-fought success. His products - including vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and hair stylers, and fans and purifiers - are not only revolutionary technologies, but design classics. This was a legacy of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous artists, designers and inventors of the era, as well as his engineering heroes such as Frank Whittle and Alec Issigonis.

In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world. It is a compelling and dramatic tale, with many obstacles overcome. Dyson has always looked to the future, even setting up his own university to help provide the next generation of engineers and designers. For, as he says, 'everything changes all the time, so experience is of little use'.

Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product, an aspiring entrepreneur, whether you appreciate great design or a page-turning read, Invention: A Life offers you inspiration, hope and much more.

Reviews

'I left [this book] enlightened about engineering and design, and impressed by Dyson's dogged, trailblazing spirit.' -- Oliver Shah * Sunday Times *
The ferociously creative entrepreneur who emerges in these pages revels in practical experiment and learns from failure Dysons struggles against the advice of experts and in the teeth of endless commercial and technical challenges havent lost their power to fascinate Those who persist with Invention despite its flaws will be rewarded. -- Marc Sidwell * Sunday Telegraph *
'Stories of consumerproducts and gadgets drive Mr Dyson's narrative forward, but parallel...[he] tells a story of the struggles of entrepreneurship. A final thread...is his passionate case for more and better engineering and science education in British schools' -- Henry Petroski * Wall Street Journal *

Author Bio

James Dyson was born in Norfolk in 1947 and studied at the Royal College of Art in London, before joining Rotork to engineer and make the Sea Truck, a high-speed flat-bottomed boat, with Jeremy Fry.Best known for his revolutionary cyclonic vacuum cleaner, his products havebeen sold around the world, renowned for their innovative technology, design, and efficiency. James believes that engineers can improve the world and he helps them to do so through the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, The James Dyson Foundation, and the annual James Dyson Award.