Twin Tracks: The Unexpected Origins Of The Modern World

James Burke, author of 'The Pinball Effect' and 'The Day The Universe Changed', offers a dynamic view of history in this ingeniously devised and challenging book.

Burke demonstrates the subjectivity of history by presenting two different threads of historical consequence and the surprising permutations that evolve. With separate narratives running on opposite pages, the book is in effect a slide-rule of historical events that can run backwards or forwards. When the tracks eventually collide the connections that result can be anything from the lens-grinding lathe leading to hairdressing, or the debut of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro contributing to the development of the Gulf War stealth fighter jet. Like tossing a stone into the pool of humanity, Burke allows the reader to see that contemporary events always have a source, no matter how odd or unrelated.

A smart, humorous and mercifully irreverent book that will kick-start the imagination.