NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC is one of the world's leading nonfiction publishers, proudly supporting the work of scientists, explorers, photographers, and authors, as well as publishing a diverse list of books that celebrate the world and all that is in it. National Geographic Books creates and distributes print and digital works that inspire, entertain, teach, and give readers access to a world of discovery and possibility on a wide range of nonfiction subjects from animals to travel, cartography to history, fun facts to moving stories. A portion of all National Geographic proceeds is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. HENRY PETROSKI is a professor of engineering and of history at Duke University. He has written a number of books on the history of everyday objects, among them The Pencil, The Evolution of Useful Things, and The Book on the Bookshelf. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he lectures nationally and internationally on topics small and large.