Black Book

The Ultimate Guide to Alternative Inventions

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

1 789 kr

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The Black Book: The Ultimate Guide to Alternative Inventions is an illustrated book about inventions that almost changed the world - but didn't.It brings together unusual machines, ambitious prototypes, and strange engineering ideas that were once taken seriously: flying tanks, floating tunnels, collapsible aircraft carriers, armored vehicles, and other concepts that now feel almost fictional, even though they were real.The book looks at why these ideas appeared, what their inventors were trying to solve, how the inventions worked, and why they never became part of everyday life. Some were too expensive, some too complicated, some arrived too early, and some were simply too strange for their time.Rather than treating them as failures, the book presents them as part of the wider story of innovation. Many of these inventions reveal genuine imagination, technical skill, and a willingness to experiment at the edge of what seemed possible.Each invention is brought to life with detailed hand-drawn illustrations, based on patents, photographs, and historical references. The result is a book about engineering curiosity, forgotten ideas, and the strange beauty of things that almost existed.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-08-22
Mått345 x 240 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor316
FörlagHungry Minds
ISBN9798999340344

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Teknik: allmänt inom Naturvetenskap och teknik

The Black Book was not created by one person, but by a talented team of writers, artists, researchers, and editors - each bringing their own expertise to the project.The book's lead writer is Dr Noah Charney, an internationally best-selling author of more than 20 books, translated into fourteen languages, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He is a professor of art history and has taught for Yale, the National Gallery, the Smithsonian, and other leading institutions. He also writes for major publications, including The Guardian, and has worked as a television and radio presenter, including for the BBC.The concept behind the book was shaped by Seva Batishchev and Timur Kadyrov, the creators and founders of Hungry Minds - the publishing house known for turning complex ideas into beautifully illustrated objects.The book's visual world was brought to life by Lev Kaplan, the lead illustrator, whose detailed hand-drawn artwork gives each invention its own character, structure, and sense of wonder.Behind the writing was also a larger team of researchers and technical editors, who helped verify the stories, clarify the engineering, and turn hundreds of unusual inventions into a coherent and compelling book.

Table of Contents:LAND TRANSPORT - 6Intro - 8Monowheel - 10Sphere monorail - 12Aerotrain - 14Road train - 16Gyrobus - 18Funny Cars - 20Propeller Car (Leyat Helica) - 22Screw-propelled vehicle - 24Sir Vival - 26Steam Car - 28Fan Car - 30Desert Ship - 32Rocket boots - 34Megola - 36Active Transportation - 38AVIATION - 40Intro - 42Bell Rocket Belt - 44Hiller Flying Platform - 46Flying Cars - 48Ornithopter - 50Steam Plane - 52Hydrogen Airship - 54Annular Wing - 56Supersonic airliner - 58Avrocar - 60Caproni Ca.60 - 62Oblique Wing - 64SPACE - 66Intro - 68Steam-Hydrogen Space Launch - 70Nuclear Thermal Rocket Engines - 72Soviet Buran vs American Space Shuttle - 74MOOSE - 76Space Sun - 78Space Skyhook - 80Space fountain - 82O'Neill cylinder - 84Sea Dragon - 86Astronaut Gadgets - 88WATER WORLD - 90Intro - 92Liquid Breathing - 94Underwater Primitive Devices - 96Kulibin's Vodohod - 98Roller Ship - 100Pykrete - 102Ground-effect Vehicle - 104Salter's Duck Wave Energy Converter - 106Underwater Habitat - 108Marine Cities - 110Giant Hovercraft SR.N4 - 112Submerged Floating Tunnel - 114Rotor Sail - 116ARCHITECTURE - 118Intro - 120Dymaxion House - 122Monsanto Plastic House - 124Baubotanik - 126Paternoster Lift - 128Panopticon and Rotary Jail - 130Moonlight Tower - 132Nakagin Capsule Tower - 134Arcology - 136Linear City - 138Garden Cities - 140The Manhattan Dome - 142Walking City - 144HOUSEHOLD - 146Intro - 148Living Room - 150TV Remotes - 152Reading Devices - 154Kitchen Contraptions - 156Cutlery - 158Cleaning and Laundry - 160Bathroom - 162Baby Care - 164Bedroom - 166Alarm Clocks, Timers, and Coffee-makers - 168Pet Care - 170STYLE - 172Intro - 174Beauty Micrometer - 176Crinoline - 178Dating Apparati - 180Electric Brush - 182Anti-rain Devices - 184Anti-theft Carryalls - 186Permanent Wave Machine - 188Foot-o-scope - 190SAFETY AND HEALTH - 192Intro - 194Safety Coffin - 196Fire Safety - 198Animal Protection - 200Helmets - 202Radium Products - 204Centrifugal Birthing Device - 206Self-Defense Gadgets - 208Family Shelter - 210KNOW-HOW - 212Intro - 214Stirling Engine - 216Wankel Engine - 218Tesla Tower - 220Pneumatic Tube - 222Self-Healing Concrete - 224Faster Than Wind Car - 226Universal Symbol Languages - 228IT AND TELECOM - 230Intro - 232Analytical Engine - 234Tide-Predicting Machines - 236Curta Mechanical Calculator - 238Cryotron - 240Mechanical Memory - 242Dvorak and Alternative Keyboard - 244Photophone - 246Alexanderson Alternator - 248The Offline Navigators - 250Wearables - 252MILITARY - 254Intro - 256Walking Truck - 258Leaping Tank - 260Bizarre Tanks - 262Flying Tanks - 264Convair XFY-1 Pogo - 266Animal Weaponry - 268Acoustic Locators - 270Schwerer Gustav Giant Gun - 272Krummlauf Rifle - 274Vortex Ring Gun - 276Spy Gadgets - 278Davy Crockett - 280Great Panjandrum - 282ENTERTAINMENT - 284Intro - 286Telharmonium - 288Musical Instruments - 290Talking Paper - 292Mechanical Turk - 294Automatons - 296Arcades - 298Game Controllers - 300Scent Tech - 302Mechanical Television - 304Sensorama - 306