Joe Rhatigan is a well-respected editor and author, and has written many bestselling books, including the acclaimed White House Kids- The Perks, Pleasures, Problems and Pratfalls of the Presidents' Children, People You Gotta Meet Before You Grow Up, Don't Unravel When You Travel, and many more. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
From "Smell-O-Vision" to a motorized pogo stick and an edible
smartphone case, this romp through Patent Office records is a
hilarious tribute to misapplied ingenuity."The world is bursting
with ideas," Rhatigan observes. "Unfortunately, not all of these
ideas are good." In support, he digs up dozens of unlikely
proposals—some of which, like Henry Ford's early Quadricycle and
Thomas Edison's Talking Doll were harbingers of truly
world-changing innovations. Most, though, like the Reid Flying
Submarine, 19th-century rocking bathtubs, a suggestive party-game
version of cup-and-ball played at waist level and the
aforementioned movie theater "Smell-O-Vision" (and a competing
technology, "AromaRama") never got off the ground due to obvious
design flaws, expense or just inadequate marketing. Still, all were
concocted in a spirit of enterprise, and by way of a hat tip, the
author names nearly all of their inventors, renowned or otherwise.
Owsley's cartoon visualizations of selected inventions in action
join original patent drawings and occasional photos to provide
comical commentary as much as to clarify physical and functional
details. Casual browsers will come away mightily amused; would-be
inventors will find here fresh inspiration, as well as
encouragement to give their own wildest ideas a try.
-Kirkus Reviews
For every successful invention, there are a lot of near-misses,
dozens of which Rhatigan collects in this entertaining sidewise
view of history, which includes b&w illustrations from actual
patent applications as well as color cartoons from Owsley.
Inventions that didn't get off the ground include a parachute coat
(the inventor died testing its effectiveness), a bed that ejects
its sleeper to wake him or her, a "Portable Baby Cage" that hangs
from the outside of a window, and a rocking bathtub ("no matter
what the advertisements said, water got everywhere"). Despite
cataloguing a great many failures, Rhatigan challenges readers to
try their hands at inventing; as Thomas Edison puts it, in one of
serveral featured quotations, "Just because something doesn't do
what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless."
-Publishers Weekly
For each new innovation that revolutionizes the way people live,
there are countless failures--ideas that seemed full of promise but
flopped for any number of reasons. Rhatigan asserts that the most
compelling stories of invention can be found among these "losers."
Young readers will be tickled by descriptions of inventions such as
a nineteenth-century bed that catapulted sleepers onto the floor
when it was time to wake up; an extremely dangerous motorized pogo
stick; and the iPotty, a training toilet for toddlers that features
an iPad holder. Owsley's comical cartoon illustrations, along with
historical diagrams of some of the inventions, add to the fun.
Chapters are divided into broad categories, including designs for
transportation, for entertainment, for parents and pet owners, and
for eliminating daily inconveniences. Rhatigan includes a brief
explanation of how the patent process works and why it exists and
posits questions for fledgling inventors to consider about the
potential of their ideas. This engaging book holds up innumerable
examples of how both trying and failing are avoidable parts of
progress.
-Booklist
Opening with a discussion of inventions that weren't as effective
as promised, Rhatigan examines these, seeing them as steps toward
innovations that did work-an important lesson for students. The
inclusion of actual patent drawings offers insight into the patent
process as well as humorous commentary. Readers will enjoy the wide
variety of craziness, organized to show that mixed among the many
unknown inventors are famous names such as Thomas Edison and
Buckminster Fuller, who each had their share of unsuccessful
projects. A scattering of photos brings a connection to the real
world and contrasts dramatically with the abundance of cartoon
drawings intended to enhance the absurdity of some inventions. The
layout is busy with random splashes of primary colors to
distinguish the vignettes. VERDICT This book will be of interest to
curious kids with an engineering bent, though it is not an
essential purchase.
-School Library Journal
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Ernö Rubik (creator of the Rubik's
cube) are the names we associate with particular inventions, but
they weren't the first to design or create light bulbs,
gasoline-powered cars, or three-dimensional puzzles. For every
successful creation, the patent literature is full of designs and
ideas that never found broad acceptance. Some just seem bizarre,
whereas others may have been insufficiently perfected or overly
complicated. Structured around images from old patents combined
with wacky illustrations, this book presents the reader with a
series of inventions that didn't quite make the big time. These
include pet diapers, baby food for teenagers, and all manner of
transportation devices. Some designs appear to have been just ahead
of their time—and perhaps were a source of influence for the
gadgets regularly found in science fiction and spy movies. In some
cases, though, you'll be left scratching your head. It is hard to
believe, for example, that a gas-powered pogo stick was conceived,
much less marketed to the public. Not only was this the case, but
the authors provide a link to the commercial that was used
(unsuccessfully) to try to sell it. This is a fun book to browse
through and certainly one to consider for budding inventors.
-Science Magazine
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