The Elegant Solution by Jean Ford Brennan is a tale of solutions. At times problems that felt as if they could not be solved, but for a greater imagination to see beyond the current possibilities.
One might think that a book from 1967 about technology would be out of date almost 50 years later. The book is still relevant not because of the problems solved, but the solutions and the creativity that solved them. Today we take for granted the ability to communicate across the sea. Thousands of cables lie on the bottom of the oceans. The first cable posed problems that no one could foresee. The simple process of copying a document was not so simple before you could do it.
Solving problems is what technology is all about. Unimaginable solutions that solve problems with elegance and efficiency. Learning about the problems solved in the past will help us solve the problems of the future.
You might like it if…
- You like ideas.
- You enjoy simple solutions that solve complex problems.
- You are interested in the history of technology.
Out of print, buy it used on Amazon: The Elegant Solution: The Stories Behind Six of the Most Exciting Engineering Breakthroughs of Our Time
The Weekly Book Review is seen here every week. The reviews are of books off of my own shelf, and limited in length.