Customer Reviews

James May's Magnificent Machines: How Men in Sheds Have Changed Our Lives

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Fans of James May's work on Top Gear will not be disappointed with this collection of essays on many of the major technological advances of the twentieth century.

There are some obscure (and entertaining) details within, but serious tech geeks won't encounter much they didn't already know. As a serious tech geek myself, that didn't keep me from enjoying it.

The 20th century summed up as a series of important inventions and developments. It's an interesting and entertaining read, and May writes with wit and charm (full disclosure, I have a bit of a crush going here, so I could be slightly biased! And who knows, maybe the coauthor wrote the best bits). It's not meant to be the definitive work on the century, I imagine, but it's a great look at where lots of our important things came from, and where they went. You'll come away knowing a little more about any number of things, from motorcycles to guitars (and the scourge of the ukelele). One or two of the chapters drag a bit with the recital of purely technical information, but overall, it's pretty engaging.

"James May's Magnificent Machines: How Men In Sheds Changed Our Lives" is authored by the co-host of the popular BBC television show "Top Gear" and award winning British journalist, James May. May takes the reader on a journey through the 20th Century to explore how "men in sheds" came to pioneer technology in the fields of aviation, cars, television, computers, space travel, architechture, electricity, the horseless carriage, radio, music, motorbikes, fashion, tanks, espionage, and health care. The author also includes "a section for anoraks" and "further reading" which contain facts and further resources for exploring the technological wonders of the 20th Century.
May's book is a great introduction to the study of "men in sheds" and how their inventions definitely changed our lives and shaped the world in which we live.

I was expecting more detail and a more clever narrative at a higher level from this author. Turns out this was basically a companion for a television program not aired in the USA. Probably a good book for a tween interested in the history of mechanical marvels of the last century?

This is a great book! A combination of James's special way of putting things and a wealth of interesting and in some cases, obscure but entertaining facts. Thoroughly recommend it.

james may is perhaps the person with the most depth among the three presenter in top gear. and he shows his depth here in his book. i have to confess that i am not a strong reader and that i get bored easily with books, but i did find myself laughing, and completely hooked in reading this book from cover to cover. every free time i find, i just read this book. if you are the sort of person who is intrigued by the history of a lot of machines that we now take for granted, this is a great book that will deliver you the facts in the most amusing way.