• To Engineer Is Human

  • The Role of Failure in Successful Design
  • By: Henry Petroski
  • Narrated by: Matthew Boston
  • Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (122 ratings)

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To Engineer Is Human  By  cover art

To Engineer Is Human

By: Henry Petroski
Narrated by: Matthew Boston
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Publisher's summary

How did a simple design error cause one of the great disasters of the 1980s - the collapse of the walkways at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel? What made the graceful and innovative Tacoma Narrows Bridge twist apart in a mild wind in 1940?

How did an oversized waterlily inspire the magnificent Crystal Palace, the crowning achievement of Victorian architecture and engineering? These are some of the failures and successes that Henry Petroski, author of the acclaimed The Pencil, examines in this engaging, wonderfully literate book.

More than a series of fascinating case studies, To Engineer Is Human is a work that looks at our deepest notions of progress and perfection, tracing the fine connection between the quantifiable realm of science and the chaotic realities of everyday life.

©1992 Henry Petroski (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about To Engineer Is Human

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great For Understanding How Things Fail

The book for the most part, is enjoyable. the novel
shares many historic engineering achievements and disasters that I was unaware of as an engineering student. The only issue is the author over emphasizing his main point to the point of near boredom.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A very thought provoking analysis

The title says it all. It's a an analysis of the human element of engineering. It's detailed and thorough but, not pendantic.I found it very thought provoking. The narration is good and is what I imagine the author intended as far as tone.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very interesting

Sometimes dry and sometimes outdated, but it did introduce many interesting outlooks on engineering that are still relevant today.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good insights on the history of engineering

Mainly focusing on engineering incidents in the 20th century, the book narrates the history of engineering and technological considerations without using jargons. The insights given in the book can be applied to all fields alike. True stories are entertaining. Don’t expect very recent engineering achievements: the book was written in the 1980s! Narration is being done in brillant pace and tone. Highly recommend to all.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very useful insights

Shows how successes become failures and failure may become successes. A book I feel I will listen to for years to come.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great read for all engineers

A little bit slow in some spots, but that comes with such topic. If you are in engineering development, that is common so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Intriguing title, but long-winded, sexist story

As an engineer, I looked forward to reading this book, hoping to walk away with some new techniques to learn from failures in order to improve my own design processes. However, the full book can be summarized by "We sometimes learn more from failures than from successful developments. Therefore, we need to take a good look at failures." This mantra is repeated over and over, dressed up with some case studies of past failures. While this by itself would not lead me to give this book a bad rating, there are other elements that really bother me. While the book notes the many lives that unfortunately were lost during past engineering failures, it really does not give those lost lives and the need to avoid these losses the proper attention. Furthermore, the book is really written for a man's world. I don't believe that the word "she" or "her" even shows up in the book. All engineers are assumed to be male, all software developers are assumed to be male, all managers and designers are assumed to be male. While this may have been something that would be easily overlooked, while definitely no less oppressive, in 1982, when the book first was published, it should have been updated in later editions in the 90s. And certainly, I would never have turned this into an audiobook in 2018 without correcting that blatant narrative of sexism. I can understand that the case stories and descriptions of computer software are a bit dated and would take a lot of effort to update for newer releases, but removing the sexism would only take a minimal effort and not doing so feels very oppressive, as if sexism does not matter.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

No "Monday morning QB" When Lives Are At Stake

I really wanted to like this book,but was immediately turned off when the author was describing the backlash from the engineering community after the disaster. There are some professions where you are dealing with the health and safety of the public and better have looked over those plans, materials, and construction techniques backward, forward and in a loop de loop to make sure the construct is safe. While there is always a chance of error where human activity is concerned, taking the TIME and RESPONSIBILITY to make that error as narrow as possible is, i.e., won't result in the loss of human life is the way to go.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Lots Of Illrelavent Metaphors

Could not finish. Kids slingshot design. Humpty Dumpty recitation for fractures. Unsure if we can trust the sun to rise everyday.
As an engineer it was painful to listen to. Did not get through the last 5 hours. Alternative book would be The Perfect Engineer George Low (NASA).

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen for the aspiring engineer

I really enjoyed it. The content and the lessons were were arranged and balanced to provide a valuable perspective on engineering and technology in general. A wonderful reminder of the importance of detail to the entirety of any design. A positive yet sober response to the issue of development and progress.

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