A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
- Downloads：8497
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-12 12:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tom Standage
- ISBN：1635579368
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Corbin Hillam
，
A fascinating history from the wheel to the car。
Amanda
，
Who would have thought that a book describing the history of wheels could be so interesting？ Tom Standage describes the development of wheeled motion from the invention of the wheel through carts， chariots， carriages and on to the evolution of the motor car。 At each point he looks at the social changes that accompanied each stage of the journey， and that is what I found so interesting。
Sonic
，
This is decent enough。
Elyse at your Beck and Hall
，
This book is very good and the audiobook is incredibly well done。 It is informative， well written， and well organized， tracing the through history and into the present， while finally positing some ultimate questions for the near future。 The recent/modern history sections are mostly focused on the US， mostly because that's where the automobile industry most strongly developed。 It isn't so much a history of cars as it is a history of how society has interacted with different modes of land transpor This book is very good and the audiobook is incredibly well done。 It is informative， well written， and well organized， tracing the through history and into the present， while finally positing some ultimate questions for the near future。 The recent/modern history sections are mostly focused on the US， mostly because that's where the automobile industry most strongly developed。 It isn't so much a history of cars as it is a history of how society has interacted with different modes of land transportation。 I would recommend this book to anyone， but especially to people interest in learning more about history which isn't centered around wars。 。。。more
rubiscodisco
，
I thought it was going to be much more comprehensive that it turned out to be given its title。 It mostly just focuses on cars， with a brief history of its equivalent predecessors， and has nothing to say of length about other forms of land transport like trains。
Stephen
，
Tom， Tom， Tom。 You know drinking and driving is a bad idea， but what did you do？ You followed A History of the World through Six Glasses with this A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel to the Automobile。 Granted， we did have An Edible History of Humanity between the drinks and driving， so it could be worse。 A Brief History of Motion may not be as generally attractive to a mass audience given the subject （everyone drinks and eats， but not everyone is necessarily into coaches and cars）， but it Tom， Tom， Tom。 You know drinking and driving is a bad idea， but what did you do？ You followed A History of the World through Six Glasses with this A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel to the Automobile。 Granted， we did have An Edible History of Humanity between the drinks and driving， so it could be worse。 A Brief History of Motion may not be as generally attractive to a mass audience given the subject （everyone drinks and eats， but not everyone is necessarily into coaches and cars）， but it’s as fun and informative as I’ve come to expect from Standage。 He begins with the wheel and the evolution of carts and coaches， then shifts into modernity with bikes， trains， and automobiles。 As expected from a writer of social history， Standage focuses on the social and cultural aspects of these forms of transport。 In the Roman world， for instance， we learn that men regarded wagons and coaches as a very womanly way to get about， and preferred riding horseback — a conceit that continued until coaches continuing development made them valuable as status symbols。 The bicycle and automobile chapters are far more expansive， as Standage points out the ways bicycles altered courtship rituals， and how cars up-ended not only American business， but American society as a whole。 General Motors business model （creating multiple brands to appeal to different layers of the market） became normative， and motoring culture created multiple new businesses around it， from fast food to shopping malls。 （Jim Kunstler and Jane Holtz Kay have covered the same， though with considerably more hostility） Although I’ve read a lot about transportation over the years， Standage delivered more than a few surprises — like his argument that Hitler’s promotion of the car industry in Germany attributed more to it bouncing out of the depression than the war。 He also takes down a few misunderstandings along the way， like the old canard that GM and a few car parts companies conspired to buy out street car lines and immediately close them。 I believed that one myself until reading a few books on streetcars （Fares， Please！ and Romance of the Rails） that made me realize streetcar lines were folding like Germany in 1945 by the time GM’s buyout if one company happened。） Standage wraps up the book with a look at carsharing apps and the like that may move us closer to a future where people don’t have to be burdened with the financial costs of a car just to participate in society， while compromising with the fact that we’re more or less stuck with all this car infrastructure for the time being， instead of getting to live in proper towns where people can get around on foot， bicycle， bus， etc。 This is one I’m happy to recommend: it’s the book Are We There Yet？ wanted to be but didn’t come close to being。 。。。more
loonchies
，
ประวัติอย่างย่อของการพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีการเดินทาง ที่ชี้ให้เห็นถึงการเกี่ยวเนื่องของการเมือง วัฒนธรรมและเทคโนโลยีหนังสือเล่าเรื่องการเปลี่ยนผ่านของการทอดทิ้งยุครถม้ามาสู่รถยนต์ได้ดีมาก ~ ความกลัวรถยนต์ของคนบางกลุ่ม อ่อ ปัจจุบันก็พบเห็นตรรกะเดียวกันได้อยู่ ไม่เกินจินตนาการเท่าไร“มันเริ่มต้นจากการทดลองทางวิทยาศาสตร์ ดำเนินต่อไปจนกลายเป็นเครื่องมือแห่งการผจญภัย แล้วก็เป็นของเล่นของคนรวย จากนั้นเป็นความทะเยอทะยานของคนจน สุดท้ายมันเป็นผู้รับใช้ต่อทุกคน” Filson Young， The Living Age， 1911แก้ปัญหาด้วยทางแก ประวัติอย่างย่อของการพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีการเดินทาง ที่ชี้ให้เห็นถึงการเกี่ยวเนื่องของการเมือง วัฒนธรรมและเทคโนโลยีหนังสือเล่าเรื่องการเปลี่ยนผ่านของการทอดทิ้งยุครถม้ามาสู่รถยนต์ได้ดีมาก ~ ความกลัวรถยนต์ของคนบางกลุ่ม อ่อ ปัจจุบันก็พบเห็นตรรกะเดียวกันได้อยู่ ไม่เกินจินตนาการเท่าไร“มันเริ่มต้นจากการทดลองทางวิทยาศาสตร์ ดำเนินต่อไปจนกลายเป็นเครื่องมือแห่งการผจญภัย แล้วก็เป็นของเล่นของคนรวย จากนั้นเป็นความทะเยอทะยานของคนจน สุดท้ายมันเป็นผู้รับใช้ต่อทุกคน” Filson Young， The Living Age， 1911แก้ปัญหาด้วยทางแก้ปัญหาที่นำไปสู่ปัญหาใหม่ที่อาจจะแย่และแก้ยากกว่าเดิม ชั้นสะดวกสบายเข้าว่า ชหนิดหน่อยก็ช่างมันเดี๋ยวชั้นก็ตายแล้ว การเลือกอะไรบางอย่างถึงดูเล็กน้อยอาจส่งผลกระทบได้ยาวนานยันชั่วลูกชั่วหลานได้ ความกังวลต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงและของใหม่ ๆ การเตะถ่วงจากผู้ได้ผลประโยชน์เดิม ช่างเป็นแพทเทิร์นที่เห็นแล้วเห็นอีกในประวัติศาสตร์มนุษย์จริง ๆแต่รถยนต์มันก็นำมาสู่ปัญหาใหม่อีกนั่นแหละ รอการพัฒนาหาทางแก้ปัญหากันไปเรื่อย ๆก็อดทึ่งไม่ได้กับความทะเยอทะยานของมนุษย์นะที่เปลี่ยนหน้าประวัติศาสตร์ได้ไม่หยุดหย่อน ทุกอย่างพัฒนาในแง่ใดแง่หนึ่งอยู่ตลอดเวลาไม่หยุดยั้ง จากการทุ่นแรงและอำนวยความสะดวกกลายมาเป็นสิ่งแบ่งแยกสถานะได้ นำไปสู่การพัฒนาของการจัดการจราจร/ผังเมืองและความเจริญของพื้นที่หนึ่ง ๆ ซึ่งก็เลี่ยงไม่ได้ที่จะมีผลต่อวิถีชีวิตของผู้คน การแสดงความรัก การกินอาหาร สิทธิทางชนชั้น การเจริญของทุนนิยม แล้วก็…การบาดเจ็บที่รุนแรงขึ้นและสาเหตุการตายแบบใหม่ ที่นำไปสู่การให้สัญญาณและกฏการใช้ถนนร่วมกันของคนเดินถนนและพาหนะต่าง ๆ และ นวัตกรรมใหม่ ๆ เพื่อตอบสนองความต้องการของมนุษย์มนุษย์ก็โหยหาอิสระไปเรื่อย ๆ จากเดิมที่ยานพาหนะทำให้ชีวิตมีอิสระจนการเข้ามาของอินเตอร์เนตและสมาร์ทโฟนทำให้ขยายขอบเขตความอิสระได้มากกว่าเดิมเครื่องมือเดิม ๆ ก็ต้องปรับเปลี่ยนเพื่อให้คงอยู่ต่อไปสุดปัง…ยืมฟรีจากแอป TK read ดองไว้เกือบจะหมดอายุ ถถถ 。。。more
Derek Bridge
，
Innovations and their consequences （particularly their unforeseen consequences） and their regulation。 As a 21st century technocrat （and， especially， as an AI researcher and educator）， I've been fascinated by this topic and how it reflects on my own interests。 I've been taken with the idea that the history of cars and other vehicles can teach us much。 In this respect， I found Standage's book very interesting; see also On Roads by Joe Moran。 Innovations and their consequences （particularly their unforeseen consequences） and their regulation。 As a 21st century technocrat （and， especially， as an AI researcher and educator）， I've been fascinated by this topic and how it reflects on my own interests。 I've been taken with the idea that the history of cars and other vehicles can teach us much。 In this respect， I found Standage's book very interesting; see also On Roads by Joe Moran。 。。。more
James "Jibs" Isbill
，
Fascinating and compelling。 This book gripped me from start to finish like few do。 It brilliantly contextualises the social revolution that was precipitated by the rise of mass car ownership。I do have a few qualms with this books however。 For one， is too America-centric。 Yes America is the birthplace of the car but few places outside the States developed such a transportation mono-culture as America。 I would have liked to see a much keener look at the role of the car outside the United States， i Fascinating and compelling。 This book gripped me from start to finish like few do。 It brilliantly contextualises the social revolution that was precipitated by the rise of mass car ownership。I do have a few qualms with this books however。 For one， is too America-centric。 Yes America is the birthplace of the car but few places outside the States developed such a transportation mono-culture as America。 I would have liked to see a much keener look at the role of the car outside the United States， in Europe and elsewhere。 I also think Tom is wrong about the future of transport。 He places a huge emphasis on the rise of mobility software as a service。 Yes， I believe this will make a big difference on how people travel。 However people are not suddenly going to start riding ride-for hire electric scooters， on roads designed for cars。 Our city infrastructure needs to change first， and radically， before we will see a decline in personal car ownership。 。。。more
Jeneva Izorion
，
ค่อนข้างดี แบบอ่านเพลิน คิดว่าคนแปลมีส่วนด้วยมั้งเล่มนี้เล่าเริ่มจากการสร้างล้อ รถลาก รถม้า มาจนถึงรถยนต์ แต่จะเน้นหนักไปที่รถยนต์ [แน่ละ ตอนนี้เรายังไม่หลุดจากรถยนต์เลย] ก็มีพูดถึงอนาคตที่เป็นไปได้อย่างเช่น Auto Vehicle， Internet of Thing อะไรพวกนั้น ข้อมูลค่อนข้างอัพเดทถึงช่วง 2020 ได้เลยรู้สึกว่าเค้าเล่าได้ดี ชอบพาร์ทรถยนต์แฮะ เพราะเห็นหลายด้านว่าการหันมาใช้รถมันส่งผลในหลายด้านมาก ๆ เช่นการสร้างป้ายจราจร กฏจราจร หรือไลฟ์สไตล์ใหม่ ๆ นอกจากนี้ประวัติศาสตร์ช่วงเปลี่ยนผ่านยานพาหนะก็ทำให้เห็นการเม ค่อนข้างดี แบบอ่านเพลิน คิดว่าคนแปลมีส่วนด้วยมั้งเล่มนี้เล่าเริ่มจากการสร้างล้อ รถลาก รถม้า มาจนถึงรถยนต์ แต่จะเน้นหนักไปที่รถยนต์ [แน่ละ ตอนนี้เรายังไม่หลุดจากรถยนต์เลย] ก็มีพูดถึงอนาคตที่เป็นไปได้อย่างเช่น Auto Vehicle， Internet of Thing อะไรพวกนั้น ข้อมูลค่อนข้างอัพเดทถึงช่วง 2020 ได้เลยรู้สึกว่าเค้าเล่าได้ดี ชอบพาร์ทรถยนต์แฮะ เพราะเห็นหลายด้านว่าการหันมาใช้รถมันส่งผลในหลายด้านมาก ๆ เช่นการสร้างป้ายจราจร กฏจราจร หรือไลฟ์สไตล์ใหม่ ๆ นอกจากนี้ประวัติศาสตร์ช่วงเปลี่ยนผ่านยานพาหนะก็ทำให้เห็นการเมืองต่าง ๆ ที่ขัดขวางไม่ให้ยอมรับการเดินทางใหม่ ๆ หรือผลกระทบต่าง ๆ ในทางที่ไม่ดีที่อาจเกิดขึ้น การรู้อะไรพวกนี้ก็เป็นบทเรียนสำหรับการสร้างยานพาหนะ หรือวิธีเดินทางยุคใหม่ ๆ ได้ 。。。more
Annette
，
Great popular history。 Well narrated。
Daniel White
，
This books is not the author’s best work。 The timeline is all of the place and it often feels like he is just throwing out random facts rather than giving a well written history。 The author is also obnoxious at times， making claims with little evidence and more policial and emotional vs factual。
June
，
A Brief History of Motion is an accessible and engaging exploration of the history of transportation。 While it has its limitations， such as being a bit Western-focused， the book provides a solid foundation for understanding the impact of transportation on society and the world we live in。Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。
Geoffrey
，
3。5 stars
Paul Whitla
，
The 'from the wheel' section of this book was really rather fascinating （why was the wheel known about but basically ignored by some civilisations for hundreds of years）， the 'to the car' and 'to what comes next' portions had some interesting material and anecdotes but have probably been better covered before in a other places。 Sadly there is too little on the former section and too much on the latter parts。 The theme of much of the book， and one that could have been explored further is 'it does The 'from the wheel' section of this book was really rather fascinating （why was the wheel known about but basically ignored by some civilisations for hundreds of years）， the 'to the car' and 'to what comes next' portions had some interesting material and anecdotes but have probably been better covered before in a other places。 Sadly there is too little on the former section and too much on the latter parts。 The theme of much of the book， and one that could have been explored further is 'it doesn't have to be this way （and almost wasn't）'。 What we take today as the given order of things which means basically the primacy of cars and how our cities， work and lives have become dominated by them， was not necessarily a foregone conclusion at the time such patterns were developed and going forward， there are a number of other potentialities for how we organise our time and space which are not dependent on the car。 Further consideration of these ideas， rather than the recounting of how things did develop （although well-delivered with interesting anecdotes） would have helped; but the descriptions of how car culture came to shape our society and culture were just a little bit stale。 。。。more
Liu
，
This book is easy to read， well researched。 Standage spends quite a bit on city planning。 The balance between coverage on wheels and car is slightly off。 His warning regarding new technologies intend to solve one problem but end up creating new ones is worth remembering。Worth reading。
Ahimsa
，
Standage tells a fascinating story， one where each page has something that makes you want to read it aloud to anyone else in the room。
Casey
，
A good book， providing a history of land vehicles， primarily automobiles， and what those historic trends point toward in the future。 The author， journalist and historian Tom Standage， studies the history of mankind’s use of the wheel to improve ground transportation and then extrapolates future developments。 Standage’s engaging and informative writing style is always enjoyable。 This book is no different， providing a number of factoids alongside deep analysis of important issues。 He draws a fairl A good book， providing a history of land vehicles， primarily automobiles， and what those historic trends point toward in the future。 The author， journalist and historian Tom Standage， studies the history of mankind’s use of the wheel to improve ground transportation and then extrapolates future developments。 Standage’s engaging and informative writing style is always enjoyable。 This book is no different， providing a number of factoids alongside deep analysis of important issues。 He draws a fairly straight， if sometimes exceedingly delayed， chain of events from the use of primitive wheels to improve labor efficiency through to modern attempts to automate complex vehicle operations。 Standage shows how the human desire for efficiency and symbolism were the driving forces behind continual wheeled improvements。 He also shows the wide range of actions used to fit these new technologies into our intricate societies。 Standage ends the book with interesting theories on where the technology of wheeled vehicles will proceed。 Highly recommended for anyone interested in innovation and technological development。 。。。more
David
，
Pretty good。 Not as good as his food and drink books。Unfortunately， there are errors or sentences that just don't make sense almost every chapter。 Hopefully those will be fixed in the paperback。 Pretty good。 Not as good as his food and drink books。Unfortunately， there are errors or sentences that just don't make sense almost every chapter。 Hopefully those will be fixed in the paperback。 。。。more
Kalle Wescott
，
I read /A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel， to the Car， to What Comes Next/， by Tom Standage:https://www。ft。com/content/aaf6d877-b。。。The early history （first 5000 years） of the wheel and carriages was the most interesting part of the book。 I read /A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel， to the Car， to What Comes Next/， by Tom Standage:https://www。ft。com/content/aaf6d877-b。。。The early history （first 5000 years） of the wheel and carriages was the most interesting part of the book。 。。。more
Morgan Gariepy
，
This is， indeed， a brief history。 Those who thoroughly enjoy transit， urban planning， and car history will likely know much of this already。 But it's great for people new to this history and there are interesting kernels for people already familiar。A previous review notes a lack of bibliography in the book。 I listened to the audiobook version， so cannot verify this。 If there really is no bibliography， I'm disappointed。 This is， indeed， a brief history。 Those who thoroughly enjoy transit， urban planning， and car history will likely know much of this already。 But it's great for people new to this history and there are interesting kernels for people already familiar。A previous review notes a lack of bibliography in the book。 I listened to the audiobook version， so cannot verify this。 If there really is no bibliography， I'm disappointed。 。。。more
Erin
，
Audiobook
Jessica - How Jessica Reads
，
An interesting history of wheeled vehicles / cars and the city planning that cars require。
Max Skidmore
，
Not as good as I hoped。
Rajesh
，
You know， it's been a bit so I don't remember how much I liked it。 It was somewhat repetitive of some of his other books， but I guess that's the modus operandi。 You know， it's been a bit so I don't remember how much I liked it。 It was somewhat repetitive of some of his other books， but I guess that's the modus operandi。 。。。more
Shoubhik Roy
，
A page turner full of interesting facts and anecdotes。 Including more perspectives from regions beyond Western Europe， US and （covered partially） China would have made the work more complete， especially， around discussions on the future of mobility。
Miha Rekar
，
The book offers a good overview of the history of transportation and some prediction about where we're going。 It's filled with tons of interesting information， so I've highlighted it all over。For example， did you know that the oldest actual wheel ever found was discovered in Ljubljana Marshes in Slovenia？ Or that wheels were not widely used for thousands of years after their invention。There are a bunch of fun anecdotes from the history and stories of how various technologies were competing for d The book offers a good overview of the history of transportation and some prediction about where we're going。 It's filled with tons of interesting information， so I've highlighted it all over。For example， did you know that the oldest actual wheel ever found was discovered in Ljubljana Marshes in Slovenia？ Or that wheels were not widely used for thousands of years after their invention。There are a bunch of fun anecdotes from the history and stories of how various technologies were competing for dominance and why petrol-powered ICE won。There's even some managerial advice from Ford himself: "the payment of five dollars a day for an eight-hour day was one of the finest cost-cutting moves we ever made。" It turns out that paying higher wages was a way of cutting costs and improving efficiency: it reduced employee turnover and hence the amount of time needed for training。It also talks about suburban America， how that made them completely car-dependent， and how car drivers "won" over pedestrians over street ownership。 In the closing chapters， he also talks about how this trend is reverting in many cities and how a varied slew of public transportation options are better for health and climate。The book really is all over the place， so it's hard to give it a proper review or， for that matter， five stars。 But I definitely recommend reading it。 。。。more
Debra
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Every once in a while a book is dropped on you that you never would have expected to be really， really good。 This selection came through a Goodreads advertisement of newly released titles。 I do love a good， well-written non-fiction book and this one on the history of transportation is exceptional。 It does start with the basics in ancient days， such as the invention of the wheel and the canoe。 So some would consider this a slow start， but I was acquainted with these facts and I just marvel at the Every once in a while a book is dropped on you that you never would have expected to be really， really good。 This selection came through a Goodreads advertisement of newly released titles。 I do love a good， well-written non-fiction book and this one on the history of transportation is exceptional。 It does start with the basics in ancient days， such as the invention of the wheel and the canoe。 So some would consider this a slow start， but I was acquainted with these facts and I just marvel at the ingenuity of mankind to see a problem and solve it。 You can't turn your wagon， meaning it only goes forward and backward so you invent a turning unit independent of the body。 It sure beats trying to haul all that produce from the fields by hand。The background on the use of the horse to haul everything including city passengers was amazing in the detail of what all those horses entailed， from the people who maintained the horses to the people who had to remove the horse droppings。 Talk about unintended consequences！ If you are intent on skipping the first part， go on to the invention of the automobile。 This is just amazing for the variety of design， locomotion and fuel sources that set off the age of the automobile。 And， of course， the unintended consequences that set off traffic jams， actual gridlock and fumes as owners paraded their cars so everyone could see the cars and the owners who had bought this magnificent piece of beauty。This book takes you all the way to the present with the author's look at driverless vehicles and the hurdles that need to be overcome before they become reality。I suggest that you share this book with middle and high school students as they assess what was promoted and what was delivered thru the course of history。 Do it as a family read， it will be worth it。 If you are situated anywhere close to a museum of historical vehicles， add that in as a side trip， both before and after you read the book。 Did you know that electric vehicles outpaced gas vehicles and were ready to jump way ahead when some nasty gossip against them turned the tide against electric？I am fortunate to reside within walking distance of a very well maintained and eclectic gathering of historical vehicles。 Call ahead and see if you can get a docent to guide you to what you want to see。 You can prove to the kids that electric vehicles are NOT new and have been around for a very LONG time。 **My local museum is: Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles， Walnut St。 Boyertown PA 19512。 Facebook page: Boyertown Museum。org。 Phone: 610-367-2090。 Call ahead for hours and to arrange a docent led tour。 Don't be afraid to call ahead and ask for someone who is good with the age group you are bringing and be specific about what interests your group and the length of the tour so that you do not lose the interest that you have built up。 Of course， they is NO running and NO mounting the cars。 The museum has several outside larger events in the late spring， summer and early fall。 They host an electric vehicle festival every year where owners come to show off their vehicles and answer questions。 The museum in situated in a small town so arranging for a break to walk outside or grab food as locations are just a few blocks stroll away and doable。 （This is a independent review。 I am not employed by this organization and my only interest is to promote a worthwhile organization run totally by volunteers。） 。。。more
Paul
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This was a lot briefer of a history than I would have preferred， to be honest。 I dunno what I was expecting from the title， but it starts with the invention of the wheel， then pretty much jumps straight to bicycles and roads and such。 Very interesting topic and an entertaining book， I'd love to see a more sprawling history。2。5 of 5 stars This was a lot briefer of a history than I would have preferred， to be honest。 I dunno what I was expecting from the title， but it starts with the invention of the wheel， then pretty much jumps straight to bicycles and roads and such。 Very interesting topic and an entertaining book， I'd love to see a more sprawling history。2。5 of 5 stars 。。。more
Maria
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