How We Got to Now

In a richly illustrated, richly detailed exploration of the hidden history behind common aspects of modern life, Steven Johnson tells the story of how our world got to be the way it is today. From the publisher who pioneered the phonograph before Edison but failed to add playback to the Hollywood celebrity who helped design Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, from Paris in the 1800 s to Dubai in the 2000 s, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields in his trademark style of insightful prose. How We Got to Now delves into such diverse domains as transportation, medicine, and architecture, revealing many surprising historical threads that connect them. For instance: Some people love air conditioning so much that they re willing to move across time zones and even oceans for it—and this desire enabled one of the largest migrations in history.