Technology in America: A Brief History

(Paperback, 3rd edition)

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Description

Now in a thoroughly updated new edition, this successful textbook surveys the history of technology in America from the 1600s to the 21st century. Alan I Marcus and Howard P. Segal explore the effect society, culture, politics and economics have had upon technological advances, and place the evolution of American technology within the broader context of the development of systems such as transportation and communications. This unique book connects phenomena such as colonial printing presses with the American Revolution; early photographs with the creation of an allegedly unique American character; and high-tech advances in biotechnology with a growing desire for individual autonomy. This is an ideal resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the history of technology, the history of science, and American history.

Reviews

This text is distinctive for its breadth of coverage. It offers a near encyclopedic quality, tackling a huge and disparate range of technologies (from colonial beer making to the invention of nuclear power) with skill. * John Wills, University of Kent, UK *
This book is valuable in emphasising ideas and intellectual history as the key to the history of technology, and in stressing how American culture and society impact technology (rather than vice-versa). * Amy Bix, Iowa State University, USA *

Author Bio

Alan I Marcus, Professor and Head of the Department of History, Mississippi State University, USA. Howard P. Segal, Professor of History, History Department, University of Maine, USA.