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James May's 20th Century
 
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James May's 20th Century (Hardcover)

by James May (Author), Phil Dolling (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £20.00
Price: £19.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

James May's 20th Century + Notes from the Hard Shoulder + May on Motors: On the Road with James May
Price For All Three: £30.98

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  • This item: James May's 20th Century by James May

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  • Notes from the Hard Shoulder by James May

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; illustrated edition edition (6 Sep 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340950900
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340950906
  • Product Dimensions: 26 x 19.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 96,990 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #69 in  Books > History > Social & Economic History > Inventions

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Product Description

Review

'James May is the best thing ever to come out of Top Gear'

(Radio Times )

'Smart, sharply written'

(Guardian )

'The most loveable of the Top Gear presenting trio . . . there's a sharp and interesting mind under the corduroy. Fascinating.'

(Nottingham Evening Post )

Product Description

The twentieth century was a time of extraordinary change as new technologies and new inventions emerged at a bewildering rate. Our world was transformed beyond recognition, and so were our lives and our aspirations. Throughout JAMES MAY'S 20TH CENTURY James May explores the iconic themes of the century: flight, space travel, television, mechanised war, medicine, video games, electronic music, skyscrapers, electronic espionage and much more. But he also reveals the hidden story behind why some inventions like the Zeppelin, the hovercraft or the Theremin struggled to make their mark. He examines the tipping points – when technologies such as the car or the internet became unstoppable – and get up close by looking at the nuts and bolt of remarkable inventions. Packed with surprising statistics and intriguing facts, this is the ideal book for anyone who wants to know how stuff works and why some stuff didn’t make it.



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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

James May's 20th Century
83% buy the item featured on this page:
James May's 20th Century 4.3 out of 5 stars (6)
£19.00
Notes from the Hard Shoulder
6% buy
Notes from the Hard Shoulder 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
£5.99
James May's 20th Century [DVD] [2007]
6% buy
James May's 20th Century [DVD] [2007]
£6.98
May on Motors: On the Road with James May
3% buy
May on Motors: On the Road with James May 4.7 out of 5 stars (14)
£5.99
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Fun, 4 Oct 2007
By Lymaze (London) - See all my reviews
What a wonderful book. Full of interesting facts and glorious photographs. Anyone who watched the programmes will be surprised to learn the book is even better, for it is more in depth and covers subjects which weren't really touched upon in the programme. James May has a beautiful way with words and makes the science and invention of the 20th Century both exciting and fascinating.

A great Christmas book - put it on your lists now.
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18 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read, 16 Sep 2007
James May's 20th Century, published in hardback on the 6th September 2007, accompanies the fabulous TV series broadcasted on Channel 2.

The book of the TV series is ever more fascinating than the TV series itself, mainly because there's more 'pukka-arity' to it - simply meaning there's more information, and wacky facts about the 20th century.

And being James May, he doesn't describe it in any way humble, or without great lumps of humour stirred into the mixture of interest, funniness, and even some facts that you don't need, or want, to know (!)

So, in conclusion of my review for this fantastic novel (and novelist), this book is one that you can't really put down if you can help it. It comprises qualities, and quantities, which other books don't have -

More than deserves 5 Star +


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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read - James May at his best, 16 Sep 2008
James May's 20th Century really is a fantastic book, and I couldn't think of a better book to read.
It's simply staggering for anyone who likes awe-inspiring machines, like the Saturn V rocket, the Spitfire, or even Concorde.

James May, with his usual wit, digs deep into the 20th century, and covers what was so good about Saturn V, why the Lunar Rover was such a rip off, and why no-one ever said "there goes a Concorde", and how the world was severely shrunk in such a short period of time. He explains why the Reginald Mitchell's Supermarine Spitfire was such an amazing invention, and tells us, with great style and humour, why some stuff just didn't make it.

All in all, then, James May's 20th Century is a fantastic book, and makes great reading material.
A fabulous read for anyone who likes James May, likes awesome machines, and wants to dig deeper into the Five W's: who, what, where, why and when.

Strongly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read and Lots of Interesting Facts
The thing I like about this book, as well as May On Motors, is the style of James's writing. It is though he is talking to you directly and explaining interesting stuff through... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Robert Spence

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly researched and factually wrong
I've managed to get 82 pages into this until I've had to give up. So far he's discussed powered flight, the motor car and computers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SuperTed

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books Ive read
James May - is a excellent man , his work inspired my work , because he is him self and write carefree almost Diary like. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ms. Joanna Barker

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