Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)

'A masterclass in storytelling... Agrawal is the perfect narrator: her curiosity, technical knowledge and excitement fill every page. It left me inspired by the ingenuity of historic engineers and optimistic for future innovation.' - Jess Wade, physicist and author of Nano

'Inside this wonderfully engaging book is a profound message: that so much of technology comes from ingenious reiterations of just a few innovations in engineering... Roma Agrawal brings these inventions vividly to life.' - Philip Ball, author of The Book of Minds

'Essential reading for budding engineers, young and old.' - Anna Ploszajski, materials scientist, engineer and author of Handmade

Smartphones, skyscrapers, spacecraft. Modern technology seems mind-bogglingly complex. But beneath the surface, it can be beautifully simple.

In Nuts and Bolts, award-winning engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal deconstructs our most complex feats of engineering into seven fundamental inventions: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. Each of these objects is itself a wonder of design, the result of many iterations and refinements. Together, they have enabled humanity to see the invisible, build the spectacular, communicate across vast distances, and even escape our planet.

Tracing the surprising journeys of each invention through the millennia, Roma reveals how handmade Roman nails led to modern skyscrapers, how the potter's wheel enabled space exploration, and how humble lenses helped her conceive a child against the odds.

She invites us to marvel at these small but perfectly formed inventions, sharing the stories of the remarkable, and often unknown, scientists and engineers who made them possible. The nuts and bolts that make up our world may be tiny, and are often hidden, but they've changed our lives in dramatic ways.