Inventing Modern by John Lienhard, Oxford University Press, £13.99/$28, ISBN 0195160320 Reviewed by Wendy M. Grossman
“MODERN” meant “now” when I was growing up. For John Lienhard, “modern” means the first half of the 20th century, when change came in a furious rush: electricity, aeroplanes, quantum mechanics, art deco and skyscrapers.
Lienhard’s history of modern links disparate developments that normally never appear in the same book. Automobiles, for example, brought with them roadside advertising, fast food and urban sprawl.
Where did modern go? Lienhard says it ran out of steam, and digital overtook it. Now, he hopes we can recover…
