A celebration culture and technology, as seen through the history of the humble yet ubiquitous toothpick, from the best-selling author of The Pencil.
From ancient Rome, where emperor Nero made his entrance into a banquet hall with a silver toothpick in his mouth, to nineteenth-century Boston, where Charles Forster, the father of the American wooden toothpick industry, ensured toothpicks appeared in every restaurant, the toothpick has been an omnipresent, yet often overlooked part of our daily lives. Here, with an engineer’s eye for detail and a poet’s flair for language, Henry Petroski takes us on an incredible tour of this most interesting invention. Along the way, he peers inside today’s surprisingly secretive toothpick-manufacturing industry, and explores a treasure trove of the toothpick’s unintended uses and perils, from sandwiches to martinis and beyond.Recent Writings
- Neeli Cherkovski (1945–2024) March 20, 2024
- Can We Keep Both Fascism and Climate Doom at Bay for Decades to Come? December 15, 2023
- City Lights 70th Anniversary Programming November 21, 2023
- 5 Questions with Ian Johnson, Author of SPARKS: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future November 21, 2023
- 5 Questions with Robert Glück, Author of ABOUT ED November 8, 2023
- 5 Questions with Joseph Lease, Author of FIRE SEASON November 8, 2023
- 5 Questions with Benjamin Weber, Author of AMERICAN PURGATORY: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration October 30, 2023
- Scientists Pursue Climate Activism Despite Violent Threats October 26, 2023
- 5 Questions with Jonathan Lethem, Author of BROOKLYN CRIME NOVEL October 17, 2023
- 5 Questions with mimi tempestt, Author of THE DELICACY OF EMBRACING SPIRALS October 17, 2023