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

by Roma Agrawal (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 132 ratings
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Shortlisted for the 2023 Royal Society Science Book Prize

A structural engineer examines the seven most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world.

Some of humanity’s mightiest engineering achievements are small in scale―and, without them, the complex machinery on which our modern world runs would not exist. In Nuts and Bolts, structural engineer Roma Agrawal examines seven of these extraordinary elements: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the magnet, the lens, the string, and the pump.

Tracing the evolution from Egyptian nails to modern skyscrapers, and Neanderthal string to musical instruments, Agrawal shows us how even our most sophisticated items are built on the foundations of these ancient and fundamental breakthroughs. She explores an array of intricate technologies―dishwashers, spacesuits, microscopes, suspension bridges, breast pumps―making surprising connections, explaining how they work, and using her own hand-drawn illustrations to bring complex principles to life.

Alongside deeply personal experiences, she recounts the stories of remarkable―and often uncredited―scientists, engineers, and innovators from all over the world, and explores the indelible impact these creators and their creations had on society. In preindustrial Britain, nails were so precious that their export to the colonies was banned―and women were among the most industrious nail makers. The washing machine displayed at an industrial fair in Chicago in 1898 was the only machine featured that was designed by a woman. The history of the wheel, meanwhile, starts with pottery, and takes us to India’s independence movement, where making clothes using a spinning wheel was an act of civil disobedience.

Eye-opening and engaging, Nuts and Bolts reveals the hidden building blocks of our modern world, and shows how engineering has fundamentally changed the way we live.

32 line drawings and 4 photographs
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  1. ISBN-10
    1324021527
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1324021520
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    November 7, 2023
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
  7. Print length
    272 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A riveting love letter to the small, wonderful, and mundane things that make the modern world."
― Roman Mars, creator and host, 99% Invisible podcast

"Charming."
― Sam Kean, Wall Street Journal

"Agrawal is telling a story not just about great inventions but also about the societies that make and use them and the people who are affected by them.... [Nuts & Bolts] offers a robust history that should speak to scientists’ and engineers’ sense of social awareness."
― Adam R. Shapiro, Science

"Delightful.... [T]here is an endless fascination in everyday objects such as springs, wheels and nails, from the physics behind them to simple practical tips.... [W]hile it is the enchantingly sophisticated technologies that get all the hype, it’s the cheap technologies that change the world."
― Tim Harford, Financial Times

"A wonderful book that explores the creative and inventive human impulses expressed through engineering…A fascinating tour that brings to life the springs, ratchets, and fibres that make up the machines of our modern age."
― Mark Miodownik, materials scientist, engineer, and author of Stuff Matters

"There is passion for engineering on every single page…Roma Agrawal has a special skill of reawakening that part of us that simply wants to understand how the built world works, and to dream of creating our own machines."
― Angela Saini, author of Inferior

"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

"Fascinating stories behind the humble devices that make our human world work, told with an engineer’s infectious excitement and enthusiasm for detail."
― Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

"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

"A quirky, entertaining riff on the building blocks of engineering."
― Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Roma Agrawal, an award-winning structural engineer, has designed bridges, skyscrapers, and sculptures, and worked on London’s The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe. She has lectured widely and has presented TV and radio shows for the BBC and Discovery. She lives in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (November 7, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1324021527
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1324021520
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 132 ratings

About the author

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Roma Agrawal

Roma Agrawal

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I'm an award-winning engineer, author and broadcaster and am best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest tower. I studied at Imperial College London and have an MA in Physics from the University of Oxford.

My first book, BUILT (Bloomsbury, 2018) won an AAAS science book award and has been translated into eight languages. The children's version, How Was That Built? (Bloomsbury, 2021) will be published soon.

I'm currently writing another book called Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions that Changed the World (In a Big Way) (Hodder & Stoughton, 2023) where I will explore the seven building-blocks of engineering that have come to underpin our lives: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump.

I've had the absolute pleasure of presenting television shows for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery, and I host own podcast, Building Stories.

I'm particularly passionate about promoting engineering and technical careers to young people, particularly under-represented groups such as women and people of colour. In 2017 I won the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering's Rooke Award, and in 2018 was appointed an MBE for my services to engineering.

www.RomaTheEngineer.com

@RomaTheEngineer

www.BuildingStoriesPodcast.com

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
132 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting, particularly appreciating its historical perspective. They value the knowledge level, with one customer noting the extensive bibliography for further exploration.

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5 customers mention "Interest"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and engaging, particularly appreciating its historical content. One customer mentions it's a must-read for all nerds.

"In good shape and buying used helps the environment. Book is interesting but not thought provoking that it leads to a good book club discussion." Read more

"...just a bit of the agenda she brought to the table, but the book was excellent enough to just ignore all that and enjoy it anyway...." Read more

"...It was fun reading about the origins and variations of some of the tools I use every day, as well as the historical perspective, which is less euro-..." Read more

"This is one of the most interesting books i've ever read. it's kind of her adaptation of physics' six simple machines...." Read more

3 customers mention "Knowledge level"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the knowledge level of the book, with one mentioning its expansive bibliography for further exploration.

"...with any of the viewpoints in this book there is an expansive bibliography to dig into and build your own hypothesis off of...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book and learned an absolute ton. Two slightly (trivially) negative comments...." Read more

"...The book is best approached as a combination of technical facts, historical anecdotes, and personal essays...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Michael Hunter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful walk through some STEM history
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book isn't for somebody who wants a dry analysis of these inventions. It is for people who want a romp through the history of some really foundational inventions. String! From the construction of to musical instruments to bridges and more. The personal connections make this even more powerful. As a western trained mathematician it is wonderful to hear how many of these inventions had parallel or precursor roots outside of the west. Humans are amazing and limiting our view of history to our own culture is reductive. If you are uncomfortable with any of the viewpoints in this book there is an expansive bibliography to dig into and build your own hypothesis off of. This book is as much about that wonder of learning and growing as it is about specific information.
    One person found this helpful
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  • JOAN W. WHELPLEY
    4.0 out of 5 stars nuts and bolt review
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    In good shape and buying used helps the environment. Book is interesting but not thought provoking that it leads to a good book club discussion.
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  • WilliamH
    5.0 out of 5 stars very very interesting. excellent writing.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book and learned an absolute ton. Two slightly (trivially) negative comments. I very much enjoyed seeing the personality and experience of the author come thorough. Made it a more interesting book. I did tire just a bit of the agenda she brought to the table, but the book was excellent enough to just ignore all that and enjoy it anyway. Also there is a mistake regarding the US attorney general overruling a law prohibiting women from wearing pants. The US federal government could not pass such a law as it would be unconstitutional because that kind of issue in the US belongs to the states. And if the federal government could and did, the US AG would have no power to overrule it. An example, I suppose, of a very excellent writer/author getting just a bit out of her lane. But again. Very minor.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Andrea O'Bannon
    3.0 out of 5 stars Review
    Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Too much storytelling. I thought there would be more detailed descriptions of mechanics. I wish there would be more examples of each technology type. She only describes one or two of each.
    One person found this helpful
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  • AS
    2.0 out of 5 stars Pretend Book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book is by an author with seemingly limitless free time. Framed a hypotheses (key inventions) that is neither mutually exclusive nor cumulatively exhaustive) and then googled a few interesting factoids for each, and wrote this “thesis”. There is no so-what in this book. Odd one.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Michelle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting historical asides
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Even as a mechanical engineer, I had plenty to learn from this book. It was fun reading about the origins and variations of some of the tools I use every day, as well as the historical perspective, which is less euro-centric and male-centric than other similar books.
    A few other reviewers have commented that the book has too much of the author's personality and opinions; I disagree. The book is best approached as a combination of technical facts, historical anecdotes, and personal essays. The personal touch is what keeps the book entertaining, despite what could be considered a dry or overdone topic of simple machines.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Steve Berczuk
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Unexpected Impact of Everyday Things
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2025
    Nuts and Bolts is an update of sorts to the six machines of the Renaissance era. Rather than the wheel, axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw, Agrawal shares the history of the nail (which she connects to the screw), the wheel, the sprint, the magnet, the lend, the string, and the pump.

    I’m tempted to use the word “riveting” to describe the book -- if only for the pun value. If that’s a bit too strong, it is definitely interesting. The author’s style is both conversational and engaging. Agrawal mixes ancient and modern history and weaves in some relatable personal stories. In addition to the basics (when certain technologies were first used and what they enabled), we also learn some interesting facts, including about people who were key to the development of certain inventions yet who are somewhat unknown, including the person who invented TV but didn’t apply for a patent, and the woman who invented the dishwasher.

    If you like quirky, geeky, histories of everyday things or are just curious about how things like nails, bolts, screws work and how they came to be, and they relate to other technologies and our history, you’ll enjoy this book.
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  • Justin Vieth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for all nerds
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of the most interesting books i've ever read. it's kind of her adaptation of physics' six simple machines. very interesting look at the history and context about some of the items that we use everyday. she also does a great job highlighting people or groups of people that contributed to the development of these items that go unrecognized due to the social constraints and inequities at the time of their creation. i didn't realize how whitewashed science and invention has been. pretty eye opening.
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