One Good Turn

What is the best tool of the millennium? When editors at the NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE were discussing topics for their millennial issue, they asked Witold Rybczynski, renowned social and architecural historian, for his view on which tool stands out in its contribution. Witold Rybczynski's quest to identify the tool that changed the course of civilisation is an illuminating story of mechanical discovery and genius. ONE GOOD TURN tells the tale of the screwdriver and the screw. Rybczynski demonstrates exactly how, without screws, there would be no telescope, no microscope - in short, no enlightenment science - and why the Industrial Revolution would still be waiting in the wings. The screwdriver, perhaps that last hand-tool in a world gone cyber, represents nothing less than the triumph of precision and mass production. 'Savvy and highly readable' (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE), Witold Rybczynski renders an uncommonly incisive and lively portrait of human endeavour.