Sign-In
Cart
The Screw That Changed the World: How Standards Changed Everything (... Mostly for the Better)
Paperback
Technology & EngineeringSports General
Publisher Price: $22.99
ISBN13: 9781487013462
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Published: Mar 2 2027
Pages: 352
Language: English
Why do we speak the same language, use the same money, or trust a screw to fit every time?
Everything on our planet is underwritten by standards. Behind every leap in human progress is a quiet agreement: a shared standard that lets us build on each other's work.
In The Screw that Changed the World, Dr. Karl Turner journeys through time and technology, starting with the genetic codes that turned microbes into world-makers. Then, he examines the rise of language, money, and measurement, before landing on the Whitworth screw: the humble hardware that launched the modern industrial age.
Today, in a time marked by ongoing wars and the after-effects of colonization, our planet is once again at a critical turning point. Where do we go from here? And how can an understanding of standardization help us navigate the new contexts of our time?
For fans of Malcolm Gladwell, this fun and comprehensive history expertly showcases the hidden architecture that can make anything we dream into a reality, for worse or for better.
Also in
Sports General
The Formative Years of Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's Princeton Lectures
Gutfreund, Hanoch
Renn, Jürgen
Hardcover
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
Every Dog Deserves an Adventure: Amazing Stories of Camping with Dogs
Tracosas, L. J.
Camping with Dogs
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Schur, Michael
Posnanski, Joe
Hardcover
I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right
Kaplan, Matt
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Commenter, Pft
Big Cat
Hardcover
Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner's Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting
Cleckner, Ryan M.
Paperback
This Is about Running. This Is Not about Running.: Lessons for Between and Beyond the Start and Finish Line
Bennett, Chris
Hardcover
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Paperback
The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses
Baird, Addy
Hardcover
The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts
Schaerlaeckens, Leander
Hardcover
A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines
Levenson, Thomas
Hardcover
The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
Bauer, Susan Wise
Hardcover
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for Any Disaster
Alton, Joseph
Alton, Amy
Paperback
The Diet-Proof Body: 5 Simple Habits to Lose Fat, Keep It Off and Escape Diet Prison for Good
Harrison, Trent
Paperback
The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Ballard, Chris
Hardcover
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport
Abrahams, Dan
Paperback
The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Riskin, Jessica
Hardcover
Relegated: One American's Pints-And-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football
Smith, Todd
Hardcover
The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
Sobel, Dava
Paperback
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (Large Print Edition)
Green, John
Paperback
Gun Trader's Guide, Forty-Fifth Edition: A Comprehensive, Fully Illustrated Guide to Modern Collectible Firearms with Market Values
Sadowski, Robert A.
Paperback
The Ultimate Soccer Jersey Collection: Iconic Kits from the World's Greatest Game
Football Shirts, Classic
Hardcover
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
Penick, Harvey
Hardcover
Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter (Large Print Edition)
Tyson, Neil DeGrasse
Hardcover
Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing
Mazzo, Mauro
Mathews, Craig
Chouinard, Yvon
Paperback
Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education
Pilates, Joseph H.
Paperback
The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science
Chapman, Kit
Hardcover
Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
Boyle, Rebecca
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science
Ball, Philip
Hardcover
2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition: How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports
Rubenstein, David M.
Hardcover
Coaching with Heart: Taoist Wisdom to Inspire, Empower, and Lead
Huang, Chungliang Al
Lynch, Jerry
Paperback
String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication
Wallace, David Foster
Hardcover
The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization
Ennos, Roland
Hardcover
Your Guide to the 2026 World Cup: Everything You Need to Know about the Players and Teams
Stay, Shane
Paperback
The Inner Game of Tennis (50th Anniversary Edition): The Classic Guide to Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Hardcover
The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics
Bardi, Jason Socrates
Hardcover
Bioinspired: How Nature Made Us Modern, Drives Today's Technological Innovation, and Inspires a Future Worth Inventing
Stier, Samuel Cord
Hardcover
Knicker Bonkers: The New York Knicks' Wild NBA Championship Run to End a 53-Year Title Drought
New York Post
Paperback
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-Building Fun for Every Season
Houghton, Peter
Worroll, Jane
Paperback
Science of Cycling: Transform Your Ride, Gain Strength, Revolutionize Your Training
Bailey, David
Paperback
Todo Es Tuberculosis. La Historia de la Infección Más Mortal de la Humanidad / Everything Is Tuberculosis
Green, John
Paperback
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
Feynman, Richard P.
Paperback
Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being
Theise, Neil
Paperback
Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess
Himelfarb, Jordan
Hardcover
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
Horse Country: Inside the World of Equestrian Style and Sport, from British Dressage to Western Riding
O'Shea-Evans, Kathryn
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
House, Steve
Johnston, Scott
Paperback
Surviving the Trail: Five Essential Skills to Prepare Every Hiker for Adventure's Most Common Perils
Scanlon, Rob
Paperback
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
Brannen, Peter
Paperback
Miscalculated Risks: Attacked, Crippled, Paralyzed, Drowning, Unconscious and Freezing in The Wild (Just Not All at Once)
Cooper, Michael
Paperback
Quadrivium: The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, & Cosmology
Sutton, Daud
Lundy, Miranda
Ashton, Anthony
Hardcover
Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History
Burgess, Anika
Hardcover