Really interesting discussion about how biology affects technology and technology affects biology. Written in 1974, but still proposes valid arguments today. Premise is that man made Western technology has far evolved past the evoloution of our biological structures. Lots of interesting information on bushmen as an example of human biology versus modern (1974) technology. Give a bushman a driver's liscence??? Technology = Tools. Tech as tools to solve problems over time creating more problems. Want to get around faster -> cars and roads -> pollution and harm to human being's health. There is no problem free tech. Some unsupported dehumanization through technology stuff. Sounds like this guy might be a bit of a anti-tech.

I found the book to lack a great deal in scholarship. Toys which were illustrated were often not identified by name or manufacturer where such are well known. It is the manufactured toys that are of greatest interest to collectors. The American heyday of toys starts after the Civil War and continues to WWII. European toys enjoy their greatest success during the same time period although automata were made much earlier. Japanese toys gain their popularity after WWII. The book falls outside of the main stream as far as serious toy collectors are concerned. Tops and stick toys have their place but do not compare with the wonderful cast iron toys made in the US by Hubley, Stevens or Gong Bell or the celebration of tin toys of Germany made by Lehmann or Gunthermann to name just a few of the toy manufacturers.

The book turns out to be less than the scholarly tome I was expecting. This is due much to the fact that the footnote references while numbered are missing. It is also difficult to determine which references are relevant to what is being talked about. Major toy manufacturers are not identified for mass produced toys and their names are not given. As an example take the "Landing of Columbus" mechanical bank. It is called the Columbus bank and the manufacturer is not given. These oversights are serious enough to greatly diminish the works value for the serious and advanced collector.