Newly published, this lavishly produced 340-page hardcover book fills a critical void as it references over 1500 toothpicks and compendiums dating from classical antiquity to the Victorian era ...

. Petroski teaches civil engineering and history at Duke University.

For author Henry Petroski, the simplest of instruments — be it a pencil or a telephone keypad — can offer fascinating stories of engineering, design and cultural history. Even toothpicks don't escape ...

Robert Siegel talks with John Heskett, author of Toothpicks and Logos: Design in Everyday Life, about the history of design. Heskett uses examples of the design of the toothpick to illustrate how ...

A satirist once described a fictitious journal, titled “History’s Splendid Splinter,” which was devoted to scholarly essays on the wooden toothpick’s “role in social history, patterns of forestry, and ...

Toothpicks may seem like ordinary objects, but they carry a rich and curious history dating back to ancient civilisations. From tools of hygiene to symbols of class, and even instruments of innovation ...

Professor Henry Petroski pays homage to the toothpick, one of the oldest, yet simplest tools, in his book, The Toothpick: Technology and Culture. Petroski teaches civil engineering and history at Duke ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Listen 0:00 For author Henry Petroski ...