Wonderland, Steven Johnson
Wonderland, Steven Johnson
2 Rating(s)
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
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Wonderland
How Play Made the Modern World

Author: Steven Johnson

Narrator: George Newbern

Unabridged: 8 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 11/15/2016

Synopsis

“A house of wonders itself. . . . Wonderland inspires grins and well-what-d'ya-knows” —The New York Times Book Review

From the New York Times–bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Extra Life, a look at the world-changing innovations we made while keeping ourselves entertained.

This lushly illustrated history of popular entertainment takes a long-zoom approach, contending that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. Steven Johnson argues that, throughout history, the cutting edge of innovation lies wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves and others amused. 
 
Johnson’s storytelling is just as delightful as the inventions he describes, full of surprising stops along the journey from simple concepts to complex modern systems. He introduces us to the colorful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, showmen, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, exotic meals, taverns, gambling tables, and magic shows.  
 
In Wonderland, Johnson compellingly argues that observers of technological and social trends should be looking for clues in novel amusements. You’ll find the future wherever people are having the most fun.

About Steven Johnson

Steven Johnson is the author of Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software,
which was named as a finalist for the 2002 Helen
Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism and
was a New York Times Notable Book of 2001, as well
as a "best book of the year" in Discover, Esquire, the
Washington Post, and the Village Voice. His other books include the national bestseller Everything Bad Is Good For You, The Invention of Air, and Where Good Ideas Come From. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street
Journal, the Nation, the New Yorker, Harper's, and the Guardian, and he has appeared on television programs including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He holds a B.A. in semiotics
from Brown University and an M.A. in English from
Columbia. Steven lives in New York City with his wife
and two sons.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mircea

Revolutia Industriala este vazuta de regula ca rezultanta unor forte precum inovatia tehnologica, crearea de noi institutii financiare si piete. Steven Johnson scoate in evidenta rolul jucat de moda si placere.......more

Goodreads review by Kyle

Steven Johnson is one of my favorite authors (I even wrote this article making suggestions on where to start if you've never read him). Wonderland is very similar to Johnson's previous book, How We Got to Now, which examined six innovations, clean, time, glass, light, cold, and sound that revolution......more

Goodreads review by Nelson

"Wonderland" segue a fórmula criada por Steven Johnson nos seus livros anteriores, nomeadamente os mais recentes, dedicados ao historiar da ciência e criatividade — "The Invention of Air" (2008), "Where Good Ideas Come From" (2010) ou "How We Got to Now" (2014). Se retira o encanto de se ser surpree......more

Goodreads review by Shannon

I really wanted to like this book more. At times it was very interesting and at others it seemed Johnson was working very hard to connect his topics back to the original concept of the book and it made the reading very tedious. There were some very clear instances of innovation born from the human d......more

Quotes

“A house of wonders itself. . . . Wonderland inspires grins and well-what-d'ya-knows” —The New York Times Book Review

“A rare gem. . . . Our illogical, enduring fascination with play remains one of life’s great mysteries. That is precisely what makes the subject so fascinating, and Wonderland such a compelling read.” —The Washington Post
 
“The parade of humanity Johnson presents in this lively (and generously illustrated) work leads us to the reassuring conclusion that history is often made not by nerds in lab coats, but by ingenious humans hankering for more intriguing ways to pass the time.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“Johnson’s writing derives its appeal from his ability to illuminate complex ideas in unpretentious language . . . Johnson’s prose is nimble, his knowledge impressive . . . Wonderland is original and fun, as well it should be, given the subject.” —The San Francisco Chronicle

“Wonderland brims with. . .tidbits, memorable moments, and bits of information that light up the mind. . . .[Johnson] surprises and delights as he traces the path of how various objects of fun and fancy—mechanized dolls, follies, and music boxes—drove advances." —The Boston Globe
   
“Mr. Johnson’s narrative is crammed with elegantly told vignettes from the history of ideas. . . . The book is full of excellent facts.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Johnson . . . provides a compelling counterintuitive argument that the Industrial Revolution, democracy, and the computer age were all driven by diversions and appetites that historians too often ignore.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“In an entertaining and accessible style, he takes tangents that arrive at sometimes startling conclusions, like a magician practicing misdirection…Johnson connects the dots in a way that sheds new light on everyday concepts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Johnson is a master storyteller, weaving disparate elements together into a rich and seamless tapestry of technology and human history.” —Booklist (starred review)

“An engaging survey full of unexpected connections that readers of a historical or sociological bent will find particularly riveting.” —Library Journal

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