Wheels: A Pictorial History

by Edwin Tunis

Book Overview

Nothing like the wheel exists in nature; it may be one of humanity's greatest inventions. In Wheels, writer and illustrator Edwin Tunis traces the development of the wheel over 5,000 years, his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801869293
• ISBN13: 9780801869297
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.4" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A fascinating overview of one of mankind's most fundamental inventions

We often cite the invention of the wheel as one of humankind's most basic discoveries, since it occurred relatively early in human history and is fundamental to so much of our technology. Yet, most of us have no real idea of when or where the wheel was actually invented and how it came to be used in transportation. While the potter's wheel appears to be the earliest use of some form of wheel, the earliest of these didn't actually pivot the wheel on an axle. The first use of axle-pivoted wheels appears to have been on a peculiar two-wheeled "chariot" in the region of what is now Kazakhstan in central Asia nearly three thousand years ago. From there, the concept of wheeled transport spread east to China, where it appears as a two-wheeled chariot only 1-200 years later, and south to Babylonia, where it shows up as a four-wheeled war wagon drawn by asses painted on the side of a 2800 year old harp. (Interestingly, when I researched the domestication and spread of horses, their use follows almost exactly the same timeline and geographical distribution.) The book goes on to show the spread of wheeled vehicles throughout the world, with the development of improvements such as the spoked wheel, systems for pivoting the axle so that the vehicle can make turns and methods for cushioning the ride to make it easier on passengers. It continues on through the development of motor vehicles, up to the present, all with clear diagrams and pictures. This book provides a fascinating survey of the history of an invention that surrounds us every day, one basic to all of our technology and yet, one we take for granted. The idea of running a pole through the middle of two round slabs of wood, with a box on top for passengers or cargo, seems simple and obvious to us now, yet it's only been around for about the last 5,000 years. I salute the anonymous genius in Kazakhstan who came up with the idea! We owe him (or her?) a profound debt of gratitude.