Mechanization Takes Command

A Contribution to Anonymous History

Sigfried Giedion

One of the twentieth century’s best-known architectural theorists examines the impact of mechanization on daily life

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808 Pages, 7 x 10 in

Paperback
9780816690435
Published: March 1, 2014

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Mechanization Takes Command

A Contribution to Anonymous History

Sigfried Giedion

ISBN: 9780816690435

Publication date: March 1st, 2014

808 Pages

524

10 x 7

"It is a provocative, enlightening, sometimes frightening story." —Thomas Sugrue, New York Times

"Many people have wondered what mechanization is doing to man; nobody yet has investigated, documented, and illustrated the question to the extent of this enormous and fascinating book." —Time

"Giedion reveled in the splendor of such humble things, the stuff of ordinary life. He studied them lovingly and sought to convey to his readers a sense of their inner beauty, mystery, and wonder." —Technology and Culture

First published in 1948, Mechanization Takes Command is an examination of mechanization and its effects on everyday life. A monumental figure in the field of architectural history, Sigfried Giedion traces the evolution and resulting philosophical implications of such disparate innovations as the slaughterhouse, the Yale lock, the assembly line, tractors, ovens, and “comfort” as defined by advancements in furniture design. A groundbreaking text when originally published, Giedion’s pioneering work remains an important contribution to architecture, philosophy, and technology studies.

Sigfried Giedion (1888–1968) taught at the Federal Institute of Technology and was Mellon Lecturer at the Washington National Gallery and the Charles Elliot Norton Lecturer at Harvard University. His other works include Space, Time, and Architecture and The Eternal Present.