American Technological Sublime

(Paperback)

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"American Technological Sublime" continues the exploration of the social construction of technology that David Nye began in his award-winning book "Electrifying America". Here Nye examines the continuing appeal of the "technological sublime" as a key to the nation's history, using as examples the natural sites, architectural forms, and technological achievements (such as the Grand Canyon, the Erie Canal, the first transcontinental railroad, and the Brooklyn Bridge) that ordinary people have valued intensely. He then looks at the atom bomb tests and the Apollo 11 mission as examples of the increasing ambivalence of the technological sublime in the postwar world, concluding with a vision of the modern-day "consumer sublime" as manifested in the fantasy world of Las Vegas.

Reviews

David Nye always has something interesting and suggestive to say about the role of technology in American culture and society. American Technological Sublime is...a book that can be profitably and enjoyably read by specialists and general readersalike. It is an estimable piece of historical interpretation and writing and deserves a wide readership.

Author Bio

David E. Nye is Senior Research Fellow at the Charles Babbage Institute and the History of Science and Technology program at the University of Minnesota and Professor Emeritus of American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. His other books published by the MIT Press includeElectrifying America and American Technological Sublime. He was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Medal in 2005 and was knighted by the Queen of Denmark in 2013.