How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-06 08:55:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ryan North
- ISBN：0735220158
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Summary
"How to Invent Everything is such a cool book。 It's essential reading for anyone who needs to duplicate an industrial civilization quickly。" --Randall Munroe， xkcd creator and New York Times-bestselling author of What If？
The only book you need if you're going back in time
What would you do if a time machine hurled you thousands of years into the past。 。 。 and then broke？ How would you survive？ Could you improve on humanity's original timeline？ And how hard would it be to domesticate a giant wombat？
With this book as your guide， you'll survive--and thrive--in any period in Earth's history。 Bestselling author and time-travel enthusiast Ryan North shows you how to invent all the modern conveniences we take for granted--from first principles。 This illustrated manual contains all the science， engineering， art， philosophy， facts， and figures required for even the most clueless time traveler to build a civilization from the ground up。 Deeply researched， irreverent， and significantly more fun than being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger， How to Invent Everything will make you smarter， more competent， and completely prepared to become the most important and influential person ever。 You're about to make history。 。 。 better。
The only book you need if you're going back in time
What would you do if a time machine hurled you thousands of years into the past。 。 。 and then broke？ How would you survive？ Could you improve on humanity's original timeline？ And how hard would it be to domesticate a giant wombat？
With this book as your guide， you'll survive--and thrive--in any period in Earth's history。 Bestselling author and time-travel enthusiast Ryan North shows you how to invent all the modern conveniences we take for granted--from first principles。 This illustrated manual contains all the science， engineering， art， philosophy， facts， and figures required for even the most clueless time traveler to build a civilization from the ground up。 Deeply researched， irreverent， and significantly more fun than being eaten by a saber-toothed tiger， How to Invent Everything will make you smarter， more competent， and completely prepared to become the most important and influential person ever。 You're about to make history。 。 。 better。
Reviews
mkk
，
Thoroughly enjoyable （made me chuckle a number of times！） and an informative， accessible read for anybody who wants to learn multiple things at once in a short period of time。
Phil
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I NEVER UNDERSTOOD ITI did not like this book and didn’t finish it。 I read a lot of books but never figured out what this book was trying to convey。 Maybe it is humor but just not a kind that resonates with me？ Anyhow if I could get my money back I would。
Simeon
，
I really liked this because it was so realistic and another thing I liked about it was the fact that it was fun to read， especially because of the time machines。 The author's writing was engaging and easy to read。 I really liked this because it was so realistic and another thing I liked about it was the fact that it was fun to read， especially because of the time machines。 The author's writing was engaging and easy to read。 。。。more
Allison Buck
，
4 out of 5 stars！There's really not much to say about this one。 It was a goofy oversimplification of the past 5，000 years or so of human history and the knowledge we've gained/things we've developed along the way。 There are lots of juicy little trivia tidbits in here and because it covers such a breadth of human history with topics ranging from the development of written language to farming technologies to advanced chemistry， there should be something in here to interest everyone。I listened to t 4 out of 5 stars！There's really not much to say about this one。 It was a goofy oversimplification of the past 5，000 years or so of human history and the knowledge we've gained/things we've developed along the way。 There are lots of juicy little trivia tidbits in here and because it covers such a breadth of human history with topics ranging from the development of written language to farming technologies to advanced chemistry， there should be something in here to interest everyone。I listened to the audiobook， and I'm sure having the physical copy would have been better since there are figures and tables being frequently referenced， but they are available online。 The narrator also does a pretty good job at describing what each image looks like so listeners aren't completely kept in the dark if they're like me and do most of their listening at the gym or out taking walks with no laptop at their immediate disposal。 。。。more
Kathy
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There's only so many page of Ryan North's writing style I can deal with at any time， and apparently 44% of this book was that limit。 This isn't so much a hypothetical survival guide as a history of civilisation， framed as if you somehow had many many years or even generations to set up civilisation exactly how it is now， but a little ahead of time。 As such I wasn't getting the information out of it that I wanted。 The thing about bread not being vegetarian because of the yeast is rubbish （the boo There's only so many page of Ryan North's writing style I can deal with at any time， and apparently 44% of this book was that limit。 This isn't so much a hypothetical survival guide as a history of civilisation， framed as if you somehow had many many years or even generations to set up civilisation exactly how it is now， but a little ahead of time。 As such I wasn't getting the information out of it that I wanted。 The thing about bread not being vegetarian because of the yeast is rubbish （the book in general seems very pro-use-of-animals）， and after that the book lost authority for me。 。。。more
Judi
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With tongue planted firmly in cheek （time travel and restarting civilization from scratch）， this work highlights many basic areas one needs to understand to ‘reinvent’ civilization following current establishments。 Lots of excellent information， packaged with a wry sense of humor。
Helen Hnin
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This is really fun and informative。 If I ever get stuck in the past， I'd want this book to be with me。 （I'm realizing that now I have an answer for that inane question "what do you want to have with you if you ever get stuck on an island。" This book of course。）But beware！ Just like his choose-your-own-adventure game books， this gets old real fast。 There are hundreds of pages which essentially are just info dump so read this in small doses。 This is really fun and informative。 If I ever get stuck in the past， I'd want this book to be with me。 （I'm realizing that now I have an answer for that inane question "what do you want to have with you if you ever get stuck on an island。" This book of course。）But beware！ Just like his choose-your-own-adventure game books， this gets old real fast。 There are hundreds of pages which essentially are just info dump so read this in small doses。 。。。more
Beth
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Highly entertaining and informative！
Ashutosh Sahu
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Kind of a thought experiment turned novel。 Less useful for the modern-day person looking to rebuild after a Mad-Max scenario。 Should be an e-book version and included CD with comprehensive details of smelting， tanning， etc。 That would be worth the sticker price。
Matthew Whalen
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Excellent， entertaining book regarding origins and basis for civilization-enabling technologies！
Ivy
，
This book rules。The chapters on engineering， while written and explained just as well as the rest of the book， flew straight over my head， so I guess my brain just isn't wired that way。The chapter on music I struggled with a bit too， but for the exact opposite reason。 I've had a solid grasp on pretty much everything talked about since I was 5， and I've had a grasp on the few more complicated bits since I was 13， so that chapter also didn't do too much for me。However， I found every single other c This book rules。The chapters on engineering， while written and explained just as well as the rest of the book， flew straight over my head， so I guess my brain just isn't wired that way。The chapter on music I struggled with a bit too， but for the exact opposite reason。 I've had a solid grasp on pretty much everything talked about since I was 5， and I've had a grasp on the few more complicated bits since I was 13， so that chapter also didn't do too much for me。However， I found every single other chapter to be really entertaining and I learned a lot from them。 I love North's writing style a lot， and I'm glad I still enjoy it in a （mostly） non-fictional context。 It didn't feel right not to shelf this book under both my non-fiction and science-fiction shelves。 I often read passages out loud to my family， and my mom always got so offended on the behalf of humanity for inventing things when the did。 Sorry mom， but I gotta agree with North here， most of humanity is pretty cringe！A lot of the books mentioned in the bibliography look really interesting， and there are a few topics I especially look forward to reading about， especially ones relating to medicine and linguistics。 。。。more
Lee Andy
，
超好看的一本书。老子本来就喜欢种田。本书算是系统的梳理了“Re：从零开始的新生活”。读过之后发现，种田也不是那么难么。才知道，无论是起点文还是轻小说，无论是烧玻璃还是造洗发水，他们的方法都不对。各种吐槽很俏皮。书中生存知识，面面俱到，但没有武器的制造与使用。不知道中文版是否和谐了。
Kyle Dubiel
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It’s mildly interesting， but a bit one-note and monotonous if you’re doing a dedicated reading。 More like a coffee table book anyome can pick up and read an interesting fact they didn’t know before in。
Lena
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I think this has earned the title of my favorite non-fiction of the year。 I started skimming over it and then couldn't resist reading some of the early sections out loud to the family， and then my two kids got intrigued and it became a family read-aloud book。 Granted， it's not particularly kid targeted but the humor was a hit。 As we read I kept wanting to recommend this to everyone I know， but then realizing that the set of people who would actually find it both informative and funny is actually I think this has earned the title of my favorite non-fiction of the year。 I started skimming over it and then couldn't resist reading some of the early sections out loud to the family， and then my two kids got intrigued and it became a family read-aloud book。 Granted， it's not particularly kid targeted but the humor was a hit。 As we read I kept wanting to recommend this to everyone I know， but then realizing that the set of people who would actually find it both informative and funny is actually quite small。 But if you like geeky trivia， and slightly off-color tongue-in-cheek humor and time travel philosophy， and handy summaries of all of mankind's knowledge -- totally give it a try。 。。。more
Dan Randall
，
One of the best books I've read in a long time。 It teaches you the basics of nearly every basic technology or discovery in a fun， engaging way。 I highly recommend！ One of the best books I've read in a long time。 It teaches you the basics of nearly every basic technology or discovery in a fun， engaging way。 I highly recommend！ 。。。more
Natalie Haustein
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I always wondered "Why did people invent the things they invented and how did they come up with it？"。Well what can I say: Now I know！ And with this book， if I ever get stranded in the far past， I will be able to build a quicker and better society。 One that used buttons to fasten clothes and not only as ornaments！ I always wondered "Why did people invent the things they invented and how did they come up with it？"。Well what can I say: Now I know！ And with this book， if I ever get stranded in the far past， I will be able to build a quicker and better society。 One that used buttons to fasten clothes and not only as ornaments！ 。。。more
William
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Good: fun overview of a bunch of different building blocks of society。
Mtabacman
，
It fun， it's informative， it's as complete as a guide like this can be while keeping it interesting。 It really covers soooo much in so little space。 It's the only book worth memorizing。 It fun， it's informative， it's as complete as a guide like this can be while keeping it interesting。 It really covers soooo much in so little space。 It's the only book worth memorizing。 。。。more
Cy Porter
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This is a fun read！ I thought of A Canticle for Leibowitz while reading this， a large scale thought experiment of what it would take to rebuild modern society from the ground up。 This is a fun read！ I thought of A Canticle for Leibowitz while reading this， a large scale thought experiment of what it would take to rebuild modern society from the ground up。 。。。more
Brian
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An extra star for all the fun side facts I learned while reading this book！
Tyler
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Listened to this one （which worked surprisingly well） and really enjoyed it。 Plan to purchase a hardcopy。Recommended for anyone who likes work by Randall Munroe （XKCD）。
Andrea
，
The tone was fun， and there were some really interesting sections about construction and the origins of early technologies。 For some reason the later sections weren't as interesting to me; perhaps because I feel I already have a decent knowledge of logic， chemistry， computer science， electricity， etc。 It was great background reading for the space colony game I'm working on - you'd definitely want to have a resource like this on a new colony， too， since you might have to start some things from sc The tone was fun， and there were some really interesting sections about construction and the origins of early technologies。 For some reason the later sections weren't as interesting to me; perhaps because I feel I already have a decent knowledge of logic， chemistry， computer science， electricity， etc。 It was great background reading for the space colony game I'm working on - you'd definitely want to have a resource like this on a new colony， too， since you might have to start some things from scratch。 。。。more
Noori
，
Really cool concept for the book and very entertaining throughout。 The author did a good job researching so many diverse topics and then being able to explain the principles behind them。 I just wish this book existed when I was back in school！
Susan
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I absolutely loved this book。 It’s hilarious: every chapter starts with a pun （！！ pause for dramatic effect）， and the whole book is littered with jokes everywhere it was making me laugh out loud every 5 minutes。 I love the premise， which is that you are a timetraveller who’s embarking on time travel with a potentially faulty time machine which might leave you stranded anywhere at any point in time （possibly even before the Big Bang）。 This book is a “manual” that teaches you how to reinvent civil I absolutely loved this book。 It’s hilarious: every chapter starts with a pun （！！ pause for dramatic effect）， and the whole book is littered with jokes everywhere it was making me laugh out loud every 5 minutes。 I love the premise， which is that you are a timetraveller who’s embarking on time travel with a potentially faulty time machine which might leave you stranded anywhere at any point in time （possibly even before the Big Bang）。 This book is a “manual” that teaches you how to reinvent civilization。 In the author’s own words: “Reading this book has transferred knowledge of humanity's greatest achievements from the palm of your hand to the interior of your mind。" Why is that important？ None of the knowledge we have today came free。 It took so long for humanity to develop them。 As an example， 98% of human history was spent without the written language。 It was so difficult to invent written language from spoken ones， in fact， it only happened twice in the entire human civilization。 After humans invented numbers and digits， it took us over 40 millennia to develop the rest of the number system， actually most of that just to invent fractions， the idea so basic that we now teach it to literal babies。 And now we get to stand on the shoulders of giants who made humanity progress to this point and get a summary from one “manual”！The book introduces major human inventions （both physical inventions and knowledge） like language， the number system， agriculture， food （e。g。 how to make bread and beer）， birth controls， steam engines， batteries， paper， logic， chemistry， astrophysics， philosophy， art， music， medicine， computers， and so much more！ I personally love learning about things， or at least get a concept of them， so it was really cool。I read another review that said “This books is sorta like ‘The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy’ meets ‘Sapiens’”。 I couldn’t agree more。 If you want a fun book where you can learn a bunch of things， pick it up now！ 。。。more
Lindsey Anne
，
A witty read。This book immediately captivates the reader （or listener for my audiobook peeps） with the unique style Ryan North brings in his writing。 A snarky time machine manual writer guides the reader through the basics to recreate civilization from scratch in the unlikely （but non-zero） chance the traveler becomes marooned back in time， all the while both encouraging early adoption of things like medicine and language while not-so-subtly suggesting you stay away from arsenic。My favorite sect A witty read。This book immediately captivates the reader （or listener for my audiobook peeps） with the unique style Ryan North brings in his writing。 A snarky time machine manual writer guides the reader through the basics to recreate civilization from scratch in the unlikely （but non-zero） chance the traveler becomes marooned back in time， all the while both encouraging early adoption of things like medicine and language while not-so-subtly suggesting you stay away from arsenic。My favorite sections focused on language and agricultural society development， areas I've been recently getting more interested in。 While definitely worth the read， I only eating this 4 stars because the later half dragged on for my personal tastes。 Still， highly recommend you take it on any time traveling journeys！ 。。。more
Faranae
，
I thought I would love this book。 I hate it。 I hate it for the damage it's going to do。 This is not well researched。 The bibliography （there are no actual citations） includes Jared Diamond。 People with names that aren't obviously European are only there for highly specific topics。 That bibliography is also heavily STEM skewed， which means a number of wildly incorrect or long since dismantled ideas from anthropology make it into the text uncritically （don't get me started on hunter gatherers， I thought I would love this book。 I hate it。 I hate it for the damage it's going to do。 This is not well researched。 The bibliography （there are no actual citations） includes Jared Diamond。 People with names that aren't obviously European are only there for highly specific topics。 That bibliography is also heavily STEM skewed， which means a number of wildly incorrect or long since dismantled ideas from anthropology make it into the text uncritically （don't get me started on hunter gatherers， calorie surplus， etc）。 It could have been a humorous little romp through the history of technology， but if you don't know what you don't know， you'll end up having a lot of things to unlearn。 。。。more
Martyna Kostrzewska
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Great book！ I wish I have read it at school。 science lessons would have been so much easier。。。
Shim
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A handful of vaguely interesting （but not always so easily verifiable） bits of information spread out in the midst of a mostly useless and trying too hard book attempting to explain how to invent everything when actually explaining very little。 Seems like some key things were completely ignored or barely discussed too。 Also， while it wasn’t so bad， this didn’t really make all that much sense as an audiobook because of the various diagrams and very repetitive tables which are almost impossible to A handful of vaguely interesting （but not always so easily verifiable） bits of information spread out in the midst of a mostly useless and trying too hard book attempting to explain how to invent everything when actually explaining very little。 Seems like some key things were completely ignored or barely discussed too。 Also， while it wasn’t so bad， this didn’t really make all that much sense as an audiobook because of the various diagrams and very repetitive tables which are almost impossible to imagine purely via audio。 Though the author did do a good job with the audiobook all things considered。 。。。more
Zahraa
，
Words cannot describe how much joy this book brings me， for somebody who loved fiction but still strives to learn new things， this was the perfect balance。 It had such a WIDE range， from learning how to teach a language to the basics of computing to how to invent buttons to musical notes and how to read them， math， science， all with history， witty quotes and sarcastic side commentary that makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable。 I cannot stress how happy I felt after reading this because in Words cannot describe how much joy this book brings me， for somebody who loved fiction but still strives to learn new things， this was the perfect balance。 It had such a WIDE range， from learning how to teach a language to the basics of computing to how to invent buttons to musical notes and how to read them， math， science， all with history， witty quotes and sarcastic side commentary that makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable。 I cannot stress how happy I felt after reading this because in addition to actually enjoying it， I got SO much information that I wouldn’t get in any other circumstance。 Ryan North is truly an amazing educator and author。 。。。more
Robert Stoffel
，