A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MOTION by Tom Standage is being released this month; it is subtitled “From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next.” We have several other texts by Standage including A History of the World in 6 Glasses, An Edible History of Humanity, and Writing on the Wall. His latest has chapters ranging from “Wheels in the Ancient World” to “From Horseless to Driverless.” Along the way, he provides an insightful discussion of the development of suburbia and devotes another chapter to “Car Culture.” As in his other works, Standage employs statistics and humor to describe trends as well as benefits (here, paved roads, more independence, and so on) and consequences (like increased pollution, congestion, more fatalities, etc.). Of particular interest to our students will likely be the places where he looks to the future, discussing options like electric cars and integrated transit systems. Look for a copy on our shelves soon. Wall Street Journal review is here.