Customer Reviews

Gadget Nation: A Journey Through the Eccentric World of Invention

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Steve Greenberg's book is funny, informative and--this part surprised me--quite touching. The drive, imagination and optimism of these inventors, wacky though some may be, form the heart of what makes America, and the human being, so great. Can't wait for the author's next book.

This book is 240 pages of creative and wacky inventions. All of the inventions solve a problem, some problems not too important, others we struggle with every day and wish we would have thought of that! I read every page and tried to guess if the product made money or not. Most of the time I was surprised the inventor didn't make more money, because they had such a good idea! I would have liked this book to go into more details of how to bring an invention to market, make it yourself or license it to a manufacturer? However, this collection of products illustrates the huge number of great inventions we never hear about, probably only 10% of these every make it onto store selves. What website can we buy them from?
Thanks Steve, keep up the good work.
David

I loved it. I learned so much about what goes on in the making of inventions. I'm curious what my neighbors are doing in their spare time! A great conversation starter. I'm usually not interested in this stuff but the way the book was written made it easy to follow. I am looking for other books by Steve Greenberg. I am definately a fan.

Gadget Nation is a great read. It's very well written, easy to read and extremely entertaining. It's just amazing what people will come up with in terms of products. Most of the products are at least somewhat useful but some of them are downright weird! The author does a very good job outlining the histories of the products and telling the inventors' stories. Highly recommended.

Jeff from California

I got this gift for my dad for his birthday and was surprised by how much I loved it! So I got one for me too.

It's one of those surprising books that you don't want to put down because you just have to see what's next in the wacky world of invention. The layout is fun and easy on the eye. And the tone is a fabulous mix of funny and factual with a refreshing touch of heart.

This book would make a great gift, and would be a fun ice breaker at a party too. We plan to keep our copy on the coffee table where everyone can enjoy!

I think this whole concept would make a fun TV show one day too!

Thumbs up for Steve Greenberg! I just bought your book last night and it is hilarious!! My son and I went to dinner last night and while we were waiting for our order, we were going through the book. Well, we had a grand old time looking at all the kool inventions and laughing hysterically. At one point, it took my son a few minutes to actually tell me what he thought about one of the inventions because he was laughing so hard, and what a great idea it was. Thanks for bringing some amusement and some fun ideas into this rough world we now live in.

I am one of the inventors in the book--page 108 :). As you might imagine I was a bit nervous about what Steve was going to say about my invention; Hand Crafted Personalized Marshmallow Roasting Sticks for toasting perfect marshmallows. I had no idea what he was going say until the day he said, "OK, the book is in the stores." Unfortunately, my local stores didn't have it yet, so I immediately ordered it from Amazon; probably saved some cash as well. As I opened the package, I was very impressed with the look and feel of the book. It can definitely be at home on your coffee table. It's a good read and is absolutely worth the money you will pay for it. I agree with others that it is a great gift item that will be enjoyed by whomever receives it.

The design is fresh and the writing creative, clear and fun to read. It really does entice one to look at the next invention. You'll show it to friends and family and have fun checking all the cool stuff out. I've been skimming around from invention to invention so far, and look forward to reading each one.

Steve and his team absolutely captured the jist of my interview although my product's price is outdated; but that would be expected with any book. Thanks for including Marshmallow Chef Sticks in your book Steve. I wish you much success and look forward to your next book.

And if the folks reading this review want another cool and unique gift, check out www.MarshmallowSticks.com and get a few personalized marshmallow cooking sticks for your loved ones. Your Family and Friends Will Still Be Thanking You For This Thoughtful Gift For Many Years to Come!

Gadget Nation, a perfect name and a great book!
John Higgins, proud Inventor [...], A reviewer, 04/19/2008

Steve Greenberg has sucessfully caputred the trials and tribulations of Inventor's. It's not easy, but it can be rewarding, Steve portrays. The Inventor is a special breed of cat, an optimist with a can do attitude, creating, marketing, and trying to sell their invention, what a Brotherhood. Gadget Nation, a perfect name and a great book! It is not as easy to bring an invention to market as one probably thinks, sometimes selling the idea/product is more remarkable than the invention.

this book is entertaining, amusing and sort of inspiring.
It makes a great coffee table book, or even bathroom book, as every turn of the page shows a different invention with it's story.
everyone who's seen it (and I've shown it to all my family, guest... at least 30 people!) has find it interesting. It's a good book to gift to someone who loves non-tech gadgets, or who is an inventor at heart.

are all the inventions shown here revolutionary? no. some are downright useless, some are for entertainment only. but that's not the point: I think this book is more about the curious minds of common people who pursue their ideas, not just about the gadgets.

it will probably get your inventing juices going, but be cautious: most inventions show how much money their inventor has invested and how much return they earned, and about 90% of inventions are a total loss! in fact, it's surprising how much money some of these people have flushed down the drain...

At 74, I've had a lifelong interest in strange, but useful products - and I always will. This book is a goldmine of information that relates to the costs and time expended on many inventions. It was a real "eye-opener" (though much of the problems were known to me because of my age).