To Engineer Is Human
The Role of Failure in Successful Design
by Henry Petroski
Should I read this?
Recommended by 1 source and appears in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Design.
"Reading Petroski's fine book is not only a delight, it is a necessity." Houston ChronicleHow did a simple design error cause one of the great disasters of the 1980s?the collapse of the walkways at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel What made the graceful and innovative Tacoma Narrows Bridge twist apart in a mild wind in 1940 How did an oversi...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 1 source and appears in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Design.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Steven Sinofsky
“In his book, “To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design”, Henry Petroski tells the story of several awful failures. In doing so he connects the desire for perfection and the reality of progress. A must read.”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. Recommended by 25 sources.
“You’re strapped into a mental road trip where every roadside repair becomes a treatise on Quality. Pirsig’s narrator, haunted by a former self, meditates on technology and madness while struggling to connect with his son. The useful part: it rewires how you think about craft, reason, and what makes something ‘good.’ The frustration: the ride keeps stopping for lectures that some will find illuminating and others self-indulgent; the thin characters and dated psychology may leave you stranded.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
To Engineer Is Human
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