Home › Books › Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buc…
Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller
by
71/99
Critics
19/99
Readers
n/a
Scholars
65/99
Rating
77/99
Volume
13/99
Rating
25/99
Volume
—
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
About This Book
From Alec Nevala-Lee, the author of the Hugo and Locus Award finalist Astounding, comes a revelatory biography of the visionary designer who defined the rules of startup culture and shaped America's idea of the future. During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller was hailed as one of the greatest geniuses of the twentieth century. As the architectural designer and futurist best known for the geodesic dome, he enthralled a vast popular audience, inspired devotion from both the counterculture and the establishment, and was praised as a modern Leonardo da Vinci. To his admirers, he exemplified what one man could accomplish by approaching urgent design problems using a radically unconventional set of strategies, which he based on a mystical conception of the universe's geometry. His views on sustainability, as embodied in the image of Spaceship Earth, convinced him that it was possible to provide for all humanity through the efficient use of planetary resources. From Epcot Center to the molecule named in his honor as the buckyball, Fuller's legacy endures to this day, and his belief in the transformative potential of technology profoundly influenced the founders of Silicon Valley. Inventor of the Future is the first authoritative biography to cover all aspects of Fuller's career. Drawing on meticulous research, dozens of interviews, and thousands of unpublished documents, Nevala-Lee has produced a riveting portrait that transcends the myth of Fuller as an otherworldly generalist. It reconstructs the true origins of his most famous inventions, including the Dymaxion Car, the Wichita House, and the dome itself; his fraught relationships with his students and collaborators; his interactions with Frank Lloyd Wright, Isamu Noguchi, Clare Boothe Luce, John Cage, Steve Jobs, and many others; and his tumultuous private life, in which his determination to succeed on his own terms came at an immense personal cost. In an era of accelerating change, Fuller's example remains enormously relevant, and his lessons for designers, activists, and innovators are as powerful and essential as ever.
Preview
Reviews
"Such ideas would take deep root, especially in Silicon Valley, even if the math never quite worked out."
"The author clearly admires his subject, which makes some aspects of his dispassionate narrative all the more unsettling ..."
"While not underestimating the fertility of Fuller's imagination, Nevala-Lee reveals his subject's reliance on colleagues and students ..."
"The result is a fascinating portrait of a larger-than-life figure."
"This dense biography is best for readers seeking a deep understanding of a countercultural icon of futurist thinking that has impacted many modern tech industry leaders."
"That the Buckminster Fuller Estate does not agree with Nevala-Lee's conclusions has to be the book's most ringing endorsement."
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!