John D. Vairo Library   Brandywine

Bracelets:

Learn about the bracelet's historic and cultural significance around the world. In A World of Bracelets: Africa , Oceania , America by Ann Van Cutsem, see more than 1200 of these bracelets.

Cell Phones:

“The mobile phone is more than a simple technical innovation or social fad, more than just an intrusion on polite society. This book, based on world-wide research involving tens of thousands of interviews and contextual observations, looks into the impact of the phone on our daily lives” (Amazon description). Check out more in The mobile connection : the cell phone's impact on society by R. S. Ling.

Clothing (women):

Clothing has symbolic, cultural, and functional aspects. Check out The Dress of Women: a critical introduction to the symbolism and sociology of clothing by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for more information.

Comic Books:

In Comic Book Nation: the transformation of youth culture in America , Bradford Wright “offers an engaging, illuminating, and often provocative history of the comic book industry within the context of twentieth-century American society” (Amazon book description).

Contraceptives:

“In Devices and Desires: a history of contraceptives in America , Andrea Tone breaks new ground by showing what it was really like to buy, produce, and use contraceptives during a century of profound social and technological change” (Amazon book description).

Corset:

At first worn as an undergarment, and now making its comeback as outerwear, learn the history of this piece of clothing in The Corset: a cultural history by Valerie Steele.

Dulcimer:

Explore the history of this instrument, and its social meanings. Check out The hammered dulcimer: a history by Paul Gifford for more information.

Dust:

"We're swimming in it, we're covered with it, we might very well have come from it, and- surely, eventually- we'll become it. So we really don't have an excuse for not knowing more about it” (Amazon website). Learn more in The Secret Life of Dust: from the cosmos to the kitchen counter, the big consequences of little things by Hannah Holmes.

Ecstasy:

“Look at the risks and the benefits of this unique drug, including the science of how it works; its promise as a treatment for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and other illnesses; and how to minimize the risk of illicit use” (Amazon book description). Get more information in Ecstasy: the complete guide: a comprehensive look at the risks and benefits of MDMA by Julie Holland.

Electric Chair:

"The amazing story of how the electric chair developed not out of the desire for a method of execution more humane than hanging but of an effort by one nineteenth century electric company to discredit the other” (Amazon book description). Read more about this in Executioner's Current: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the invention of the electric chair by Richard Moran.

Fast Food:

In Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal, Eric Schlosser “wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns” (Amazon website).

Foodborne pathogens:

The book Guide to Foodborne Pathogens by Ronald Labbe and Jose Santos Garcia, gives a general overview of the most common pathogens and also addresses food safety issues.

Fossil Vertebrates ( China ):

"The book Chinese Fossil Vertebrates by Spencer Lucas provides the reader with a comprehensive, chronologically ordered review of China´s vertebrate fossil record” (Amazon book description).

Greek vases:

In The History of Greek Vases: potters, painters and pictures , John Boardman “gets down to the nitty-gritty of how and why potters created and decorated the vases, how their artistic quality developed and their influence spread” (Publisher's Weekly). (Also check out “Greek Vases: the Athenians and their images” by Francois Lissarrague and “Understanding Greek Vases: a guide to terms, styles and techniques” by Andrew J. Clark, et al.)

Guernica (Picasso):

Picasso's War: the destruction of Guernica and the masterpiece that changed the world by Russell Martin is a “stirring narrative account of the bombing of the town that inspired one of the world's most celebrated and controversial works of art” (Amazon book description).

Guitar (electric):

“Since the guitar was first electrified in the 1930s, it has become an American icon and has transformed the soundtrack of our lives with its wide range of sounds” (Amazon description). Learn more in The electric guitar : a history of an American icon by Andre Millard.

Ice cream:

Learn more about this delicious desert in Product Testing: the chemistry of ice cream by Diane Epp.

Lie Detectors:

Lie detectors : a social history by Kerry Segrave describes how “the polygraph, most commonly known as the lie detector, was created and refined by academics in university settings with support from a few early police agencies. This work is a history of the machine, from the experimental work of the late 1800s that led directly to its creation, until the present" (Amazon product description).

Lincoln Memorial:

This monument is not a neutral piece of history.  In The Lincoln Memorial and American Life by Christopher Thomas, read about the “long and controversial path of the project, ranging from the immediate aftermath of the Civil War through the Progressive era, with its mix of novelty, racism, and imperialism” (Barnes and Noble Website).

Milk:

In Milk: its remarkable contribution to human health and well-being , Stuart Patton “shows that in addition to its well-known content of essential nutrients, milk is actually proving to be healthful in previously unanticipated ways. In light of humanity's necessary concerns with health, enjoyment of life, and longevity, Milk is essential reading” (Barnes and Noble).

Microchip:

In the book Microchip: an idea, its genesis, and the revolution it created, Jeffrey Zygmont “charts the human story behind the development of the microchip - how the genius of scientists like Bill Shockley, Jack Kilby, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore contributed to discovery after brilliant discovery, from Texas Instruments' first stabs at a portable calculator to today's high-powered laptops” (Publisher’s Weekly).

Mirrors:

In The Mirror: a history by Sabine Melchior-Bonnet, learn how “significantly the mirror has influenced Western culture - In its capacity both to reflect and to distort, to reproduce and to fragment, the mirror profoundly changed both notions of physical space and ideas of the self” (Amazon book description).

Multi-Agent robotic systems:

The book Multi-Agent Robotic Systems by Jiming Liu and Jian Bing Wu, “gives a “guided tour of recent advances, case studies of system self-organization, theoretical/ computational aspects, technical issues in programming robots to learn to interact with local environments, and new toolboxes for studying multi- robot behavior” (Barnes and Noble website).

Murals (Philadelphia):

“Learn about their inspiring legacies in neighborhoods throughout the city; go behind the scenes to find out how murals are made and why the process is as much an art of diplomacy and consensus building as paint and perspective” (Barnes and Noble Website). Check out Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell by David Scobey, et al.

Newspapers:

“The demise of the newspaper has long been predicted. Yet newspapers continue to survive globally despite competition from radio, television, and now the Internet, because they serve core social functions in successful cultures” (Amazon book description). Learn more in The Function of Newspapers in Society: a global perspective by Shannon Martin and David Copeland.

Potatoes:

It might seem like an odd topic, but the potato has an origin and a history just like anything else. James Lang explains all of this and much more in Notes of a Potato Watcher .

Pyramids (Egyptian):

The book Sticks, stones, and shadows: building the Eqyptian pyramids by Martin Isler examines “techniques from the origins of pyramid development to the step-by-step details of how the ground was leveled, how the site was oriented, and how the stone was raised and placed to meet at a distant point in the sky” (Amazon website).

Salt:

A boring ordinary substance? There is much more to salt than one would imagine! “The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency…” (Amazon book description). Learn much more in Salt: a world history by Mark Kurlansky.

Sphinx:

Interested in archaeology or Egyptian history? Explore the topic of this famous monument even further in Sphinx: history of a monument by Christiane Zivie-Coche.

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs):

"They poorly protect occupants and inflict horrific damage in crashes, they guzzle gasoline, and they are hard to control” (Amazon book description). Learn more in High and Mighty: SUVs – the worlds most dangerous vehicles and how they got that way by Keith Bradsher.

Stained Glass (in Philadelphia):

Stained Glass in Catholic Philadelphia by Jean Farnsworth “tells the remarkable story of the thousands of stained-glass windows - made in America, England, France, and Germany - in the more than 400 churches, chapels, and institutions of the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia” (Barnes and Noble Website).

Tanks:

It is a symbol of the modern war. It has cultural as well as historical significance. Read more in Tank: the progress of a monstrous war machine by Patrick Wright.

Television:

“With the enlargement of the range of choices for viewers by digital television and the provision of access to cable and satellite TV and the Internet, the role of the terrestrial television channels is being diluted. In Television at the Crossroads , George Wedell examines these effects and considers what can be done to maintain the standards and quality of television at a time of unlimited competition” (Barnes and Noble website).

Tobacco:

"Through wars, changing fashions, industrialization, anti-smoking campaigns, and the subject of advertising and sponsorship, tobacco has played a prominent part in global culture. This text traces the development of tobacco and smoking, from ritual refreshment to universal habit” (Amazon website). Check out Tobacco: the story of how tobacco seduced the world by Iain Gately.

Uniforms:

We wear them to work, to school, and to extra-curricular activities. They play an integral part in our lives. Learn more about the culture and history of uniforms in Uniforms: why we are what we wear by Paul Fussell.

Vending Machines:

A convenience we all use, but do we ever stop to think about where it came from, its history? “These devices have existed for a couple of thousand years. The earliest reference to a vending machine was made by Hero—a Greek mathematician” (Amazon book description). Much more can be found in Vending Machines: an American social history by Kerry Segrave.

Video Games:

Video games are a relatively new phenomenon - learn about the history of this past time, and about its cultural and artistic significance. Check out The Medium of the Video Game by Mark J. P. Wolf for more information.

War Letters:

“The letters are not unrelentingly grim, but there is ample description of the rending agonies of war and the pain of separation” (Amazon website). Check out War Letters: extraordinary correspondence from American Wars by Andrew Carroll.

Water:

“Water pollution and water-related illnesses (which kill a child every eight seconds) have become worldwide plagues, and as our population mushrooms, people from Japan to Turkey to the U.S. are facing potentially catastrophic water shortages” (Booklist). Learn more about this little known problem in Water, the drop of life by Peter Swanson.

Wedding Dresses:

Wedding dress across cultures by Helen Foster is an “engaging book [that] examines the evolution and ritual functions of wedding attire within the context of particular cultures. It raises questions as to the relationship between contemporary wedding attire and traditional values. It discusses the changes international migrations have had upon the wedding dress of several ethnic groups” (Amazon Book Description).

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