Most general histories of technology are Eurocentrist, focusing on a main line of Western technology that stretches from the Greeks is through the computer. In this very different book, Arnold Pacey takes a global view, placing the development of technology squarely in a “world civilization.” He portrays the process as a complex dialectic by which inventions borrowed from one culture are adopted to suit another.
Arnold Pacey is a physicist turned historian whose publications have contributed to the British appropriate-technology movement. He has written widely on science, technology, and agriculture. His previous books include The Maze of Ingenuity and The Culture of Technology.
Customer Reviews
Technology in World Civilization: A thousand-Year History:
This book is full of information relating to old technology. I would recomend it, for any one studing Engerineering. I also feel it is relevant to anyone learning about history.
World History AP class:
I had a choice to read one out of five books for my AP World History Class and I thought I made a pretty good choice. When I saw what books my friends chose, I was very happy I chose this book. Technology in World Civilization does not use complex vocabulary- so I found it easier to follow. It isn’t that long- 250 pages. It also has a interesting drawings (they take up pages!). However, this book is very hard to write an essay on because it is pretty much just facts. Overall, it is a good book to choose for an AP World History class, but would not recommend for “fun”.
Technology is a big picture issue:
The book is wonderful and has technology broken down into time periods. It starts with Asian technology 700CE-1100CE, Mongols, ands it ends with the 20th century. It is illustrated for nearly every invention. The illustrations show the invention as it is used in a society. You see people in costume as well as the invention. It is certainly a disussion starter. It is a must for every AP World History teacher as well as the casual historian
Great Information:
This book is one of those books that takes time to seep in. It is very well and formally written. Very advanced thinking involved. The thing about this book is that it is more about technological dialogue and interaction more than the actual technology. That is why it is so great for AP World History classes. I found that the book can make you just want to skim over and not read the whole thing because it is just compact and concrete so it is hard to take in alot at one time. The book should be read slowly and having an open mind. The information in the book is just great, it goes over the more important ways societies rose and fell. Very helpful for people taking classes or just wanting to know where technology developed from.
Hello! What about the S. American potato plant!?:
The book’s a great resource if you’re a Marco Polo fan BUT..
Doesn’t he know that the Industrial Revolution was caused by the POTATO PLANT which was cultivated by the Aymara Indians in present-day Peru?
The potato plant allowed European wheat-grinding mills to be converted to textile mills and a mere 300 years later, Europe had nuclear reactors.
The Ancient Greeks had the steam engine! Heron of Alexandria called his invention an “aeolopile”. But Pacey didn’t explain why Ancient Greece had no Industrial Revolution.
Pacey is a physicist. Maybe he knows if the Ancient Greeks had an Industrial Revolution in some Parallel Universe.
