Success through Failure

“From [Petroski’s] vantage point, failures in design and construction present perfect teaching opportunities. They are object lessons in the history and practice and beauty of engineering.”—Cornelia Dean, New York Times
“The moral Petroski draws—success breeds hubris and catastrophe, failure nurtures humility and insight—is worth pondering.” * Publishers Weekly *
“Success through Failure is insightful and accessible.”—J. M. Ottino, Nature
“Petroski’s main message deserves notice. He points out that failure is an inherent part of success when it comes to design and innovation, and failure can come in many forms.”—Martin Ince, Times Higher Education Supplement
“An excellent read.” * Architectural Science Review *
“This is a book about human nature in design settings and its role in the development of products and our built environment… . Ingenuity is explored as a pendulum that swings between success and failure, driven by design philosophy and practices in a given place and time.” * Library Journal *
“From ancient Roman engineers dismayed at the failure of stone-arch bridges to twenty-first-century American architects stunned by the collapse of the Twin Towers, designers have frequently learned valuable principles through hard tutelage. Lucid and concise, this study invites nonspecialists to share in the challenge of trial-and-error engineering.”—Bryce Christensen, Booklist
“Petroski tells iconic tales to demonstrate that mistakes are not obnoxious by-products of innovation but fundamental clues to the ideal.” * Fast Company *
”[An] engaging and readable book… . Petroski uses countless interesting case histories to show how failure motivates technological advancement… . I recommend you keep a copy of Petroski’s book on hand and flip through it next time you’re feeling seduced by success.”—Steven Cass, IEEE Spectrum

Henry Petroski (1942–2023) was the Aleksandar S. Vesic Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Duke University. His many books include To Engineer Is Human, The Evolution of Useful Things, The Pencil, and The Toothpick.

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