The"New York Times "bestselling author of"How We Got to Now"and"Where Good Ideas Come From "explores the world-changing innovations we made while keeping ourselves entertained.
In this lushly illustrated follow-up to the bestselling"How We Got to Now," Johnson applies his long-zoom approach to the history of popular entertainment, contending that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. He locates throughout history the cutting edge of innovation 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.
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."