Nylon

The debut of nylon in 1939 didn't spark just a fashion revolution, although it certainly did that. This attractive and abundantly illustrated history provides a thoughtful, thorough analysis of all the other revolutions nylon brought about: in advertising, manufacturing, brand-building, social life and, certainly, science and technology. Nylon earned its place in history, for example, as the material of choice for the American flag that was planted on the moon by astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin in 1969. But nylon and other futuristic fabrics may yet mark still more new territory, speculates the author, in a not-too-distant world of people sporting "interactive textiles, intelligent jackets and the ‘wearable office.'"