SKU: 97505242908

Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design

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Success Through Failure: The Paradox of DesignDesign pervades our lives. Everything from drafting a PowerPoint presentation to planning a state of the art bridge embodies this universal human activity. But what makes a great design? In this compelling and wide ranging look at the essence of invention, distinguished engineer and author Henry Petroski argues that, time and again, we have built success on the back of failure not through easy imitation of success. Success through Failure shows us

Design pervades our lives. Everything from drafting a PowerPoint presentation to planning a state-of-the-art bridge embodies this universal human activity. But what makes a great design? In this compelling and wide-ranging look at the essence of invention, distinguished engineer and author Henry Petroski argues that, time and again, we have built success on the back of failure--not through easy imitation of success.

Success through Failure shows us that making something better--by carefully anticipating and thus averting failure--is what invention and design are all about. Petroski explores the nature of invention and the character of the inventor through an unprecedented range of both everyday and extraordinary examples--illustrated lectures, child-resistant packaging for drugs, national constitutions, medical devices, the world's tallest skyscrapers, long-span bridges, and more. Stressing throughout that there is no surer road to eventual failure than modeling designs solely on past successes, he sheds new light on spectacular failures, from the destruction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 and the space shuttle disasters of recent decades, to the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001.


Petroski also looks at the prehistoric and ancient roots of many modern designs. The historical record, especially as embodied in failures, reveals patterns of human social behavior that have implications for large structures like bridges and vast organizations like NASA. Success through Failure--which will fascinate anyone intrigued by design, including engineers, architects, and designers themselves--concludes by speculating on when we can expect the next major bridge failure to occur, and the kind of bridge most likely to be involved.

-- "Architectural Science Review"

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 05/29/2018
ISBN: 9780691180991
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.50w x 0.90d
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SKU: 97505242908

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G. Mosley
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
One of the essential references for scholars and humanists
Format: Paperback
I got the 1972 PEPP as a high school student (and self-imposed "poet"). I was cured of being a poet by time, but reading through PEPP like an evergreen sampler plate made me educated in prosody, forms, theories of poetry, the history of genres, national literatures, and more. When I went to college, my professors kept asking which expensive prep school I had gone to, because no one came as well prepared as I was. The NPEPP was not quite as inspiring, but this edition is thrilling. Get it. Open it and start grazing. This is not a book as much as it is a field to wander in for years. It works as traditional reference -- answering questions on specific lemma -- but it also works as a delightful resource.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2018
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John Napieralski
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent Reference Book!
Format: Paperback
I don't think this book was meant to be read cover to cover. If it is, the reader better start reading at an early age because there are over 1,000 pages and print is small. However, the book is an excellent reference and provides data that other similar books do not cover. It is a worthy investment.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024
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Elly Paul Tomas
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Comprehensive beyond words.
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
A very comprehensive reference on poetry. A budding poet should not live without a copy of this work of more than four decades.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2019
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Advocatus Peregrini
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 4
The definitive reference
Format: Kindle
The definitive reference. It can be a bit hard to use if you're not up on the jargon, but it's an invaluable work if you are interested in the technical aspects of poetics.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016
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Dr. José-Manuel Navarro
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
This vital work for poets, critics of poetry, ...
Format: Paperback
This vital work for poets, critics of poetry, and literature specialists receives a hearty update making it even more relevant for users. No serious poet or student of poetry and literature can live without it. It is a necessary reference.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2017

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