The Wheel

Inventions and Reinventions

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, World History
Cover of the book The Wheel by Richard Bulliet, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Bulliet ISBN: 9780231540612
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: January 19, 2016
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Richard Bulliet
ISBN: 9780231540612
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: January 19, 2016
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

In this book, Richard W. Bulliet focuses on three major phases in the evolution of the wheel and their relationship to the needs and ambitions of human society. He begins in 4000 B.C.E. with the first wheels affixed to axles. He then follows with the innovation of wheels turning independently on their axles and concludes five thousand years later with the caster, a single rotating and pivoting wheel.

Bulliet's most interesting finding is that a simple desire to move things from place to place did not drive the wheel's development. If that were the case, the wheel could have been invented at any time almost anywhere in the world. By dividing the history of this technology into three conceptual phases and focusing on the specific men, women, and societies that brought it about, Bulliet expands the social, economic, and political significance of a tool we only partially understand. He underscores the role of gender, combat, and competition in the design and manufacture of wheels, adding vivid imagery to illustrate each stage of their development.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this book, Richard W. Bulliet focuses on three major phases in the evolution of the wheel and their relationship to the needs and ambitions of human society. He begins in 4000 B.C.E. with the first wheels affixed to axles. He then follows with the innovation of wheels turning independently on their axles and concludes five thousand years later with the caster, a single rotating and pivoting wheel.

Bulliet's most interesting finding is that a simple desire to move things from place to place did not drive the wheel's development. If that were the case, the wheel could have been invented at any time almost anywhere in the world. By dividing the history of this technology into three conceptual phases and focusing on the specific men, women, and societies that brought it about, Bulliet expands the social, economic, and political significance of a tool we only partially understand. He underscores the role of gender, combat, and competition in the design and manufacture of wheels, adding vivid imagery to illustrate each stage of their development.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Scandal of Susan Sontag by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Beyond News by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Kinship and Killing by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Alexander Hamilton on Finance, Credit, and Debt by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Fantasies of the New Class by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Hiroshima After Iraq by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Christo-Fiction by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan . . . and Beyond by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book The Essay Film After Fact and Fiction by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Drinking History by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book The Best American Magazine Writing 2014 by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Burma Redux by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book School-Linked Services by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Nuclear North Korea by Richard Bulliet
Cover of the book Jewish Terrorism in Israel by Richard Bulliet
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy