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Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything 1st Edition

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Salvatore Basile (Author)
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Salvatore Basile (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 20 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0823261765
ISBN-10: 082326176X
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Frequently Bought Together

  • Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything
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  • Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)
Total price: $45.72
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Fordham University Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 082326176X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0823261765
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.9 x 6.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsCool, Indeed!
By JohnFDM on November 23, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Many authors of historical texts shy away from any commentary that might smack of an actual opinion. As a result, many historical texts are dry, dull, and unengaging. Basile's book, however, suffers from no such dryness. The author does not shy away from opinionated language, whether it's addressing the folly of the social mores that influenced the masses to eschew the very notion of air conditioning at its inception, or pointing out the sometimes comical ineptitude of would-be climate engineers attempting, through the absurdest of means, to make a name for themselves in the field of artificial cooling. It is rare for a historian to reach out to the reader, as Basile does, with an enthusiasm for his subject which, rather than conveying the message, "see how much I know?" conveys the message, "isn't this cool? Isn't this crazy?" Rather than resting content with his own fascination with history, Basile gives the reader no choice but to join him in his fascination. He clearly understands what he has researched; he explains events as though he witnessed them firsthand, and clarifies the mechanics of the relevant machinery with lucidity and authority. If you don't believe you're interested in a history of air-conditioning, Basile's book will make it clear that you have simply failed to ponder the most interesting questions about the subject, such as: Why did people ever wear wool in the summer? How did people transport ice from the American East Coast to Asia in the 19th Century? What happens when a man tries to stop a spinning metal electric-fan blade with his index finger? The answers to these and a multitude of other engrossing questions are found in "Cool."
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5.0 out of 5 starsHow air conditioning raised our standard of living
By Doug on March 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I really appreciated this book on how air conditioning raised the American standard of living. Before air conditioning, summers were a slow torture of coping with inescapable heat. Theaters, churches and other places of public gathering were insufferable. Attendees were overheated due to the body heat of crowds. Buildings reeked due to body odors of unwashed masses. It was not uncommon for Congressmen to pass out due to heat exhaustion in the middle of a session.

Even U.S. presidents suffered. After enduring a two hour summer ceremony for laying the cornerstone for the Washington Monument, Zachary Taylor in his black suit downed a whole pitcher of ice milk as part of a desperate attempt to cool off. This caused a rupture, and President Taylor died within a few days.

As much of a problem as climate control was for public places, the first major application of air conditioning was for factories. The book tells the story of how Willis Carrier—a Cornell-trained mechanical engineer and future businessman who would soon play a substantial role in bringing air conditioning to a mass market—was tasked with solving a critical problem for the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographic and Publishing Company, an established color printing company in Brooklyn.

Sackett-Wilhelms, like many industries at the turn of the 20th century, was at the mercy of weather. The quality of their print jobs was greatly impacted by small variations in temperature and humidity. A few degrees too many meant that ink would run, colors would be off, and letters would be smudged. Large print jobs would be ruined by the heat, reams of paper would be discarded and critical publication deadlines would be missed. It was not uncommon for the company to have to halt production for especially hot days.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA great, very well-researched book!
By Christopher Castagnoli on November 11, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Mr. Basile has written a unique history on the evolution of air conditioning from the 19th century up until the present day. It seems hard to imagine when you look at many majestic old buildings in downtown Manhattan from the early 1900's, for example, how many of them were almost like ovens during the frequent heat waves 100 plus years ago, with very little ventilation, much less cool air! Numerous people suffered from heatstroke during sweltering summers back then, and the general public attitude, as Mr. Basile points out, was to grin and bear it as best as one could.

Gradually over time, in fits and starts, all this changed, as cooling became more and more available. Air conditioning evolved from various forms of inventive machinery in large scale buildings like the New York Stock Exchange and hotels such as the St. Regis, for example in the early 1900's; then gradually in the 1920's and '30's to various movie theaters and other commercial establishments like Macy's; and finally, after World War II, to more general use in homes, cars, and office buildings designed for internal heating and cooling systems.

All this might sound like very dry, boring subject matter, but Mr. Basile makes it all come alive with some great stories and anecdotes, told with much personality and humor. (Particularly when he's describing some of the contraptions people came up with to try to cool large areas such as entertainment venues years ago with what amounted to fans and tons of ice, for example!)

Did you know, for instance, that Lucille Ball once swore she'd never do television again after her first sweltering TV appearance on a game show? (Yes, that Lucille Ball!Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsEntertaining & Informative

Entertaining and informative. Great to learn how something that is such a big part of our daily live developed.

Published 27 days ago by Christo
3.0 out of 5 starsGood book

Loved the history part of this book. But I did not need the climate lecture. Therefore three stars for the book.

Published 9 months ago by BPete50
4.0 out of 5 starsCool Reading For Summer!

Interesting overview of where air conditioning came from and how it changed modern life.

Published 10 months ago by Randy Roberson
5.0 out of 5 starsCool th

Found this a very informative and well written book.

Enjoyed the review of air conditioning in urban, political and other spaces across time.

Published 11 months ago by jeffrey
2.0 out of 5 starsBoring as Heck

I don't mean to be harsh to the author but the useful information here fits a magazine article, not a book.

Published 12 months ago by Danver Mishtannoc
5.0 out of 5 starsFun read.

I like learning about history. So far I am enjoying this book. I would recommend it.

Published 13 months ago by Mark M.
5.0 out of 5 starsHow the south became habital in the summer.

This could be a dry engineering thesis, but instead it is a riveting story of social change that is rarely told. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Robert R Holmes
5.0 out of 5 starsA fascinating story

I found this book fascinating. Not only the process of how air conditioning came to be and to be so common. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Daniel Ethier
5.0 out of 5 starsMade me appreciate modern technology!

Loved this book! It was fascinating to read about how life was so different before air conditioning. It really makes you appreciate modern technology!! Read more

Published 18 months ago by HD NYC
2.0 out of 5 starsWhile I enjoyed the history of air conditioning's development and...

While I enjoyed the history of air conditioning's development and integration into public, and private, circles, I found that the author's continual digs at people who had the... Read more

Published 19 months ago by R. Notkin

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