31 Inventions that Built Our World

A FASCINATING DELVE INTO THE HISTORY OF THE CITY, BY THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 47 BORDERS

‘Charming and outstandingly nerdish’
ROBERT WEBB

‘I love Jonn Elledge; I love the way he looks at the world’
MARINA HYDE

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For over 10,000 years, we humans have been busy altering our environment and embracing ‘progress’, evolving seamlessly from hunter gatherers to the modern urban sophisticates we see ourselves as today.

But what are the ideas and inventions that enabled humanity to become, by the early 21st century, a majority urban species for the first time? How did the essential infrastructure of modern life – the innovations that we barely even notice, but without which our world would fall apart – actually come to be?

With his characteristic wit and boundless curiosity, Jonn Elledge invites us to join him on a fascinating and often surprising tour of the ideas and technologies that made modernity possible. From elevators to electric lighting, parks to pedestrian crossings, he guides us through the history of civilisation itself.

A History of the World in 47 Borders was The Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller April 2025



MORE PRAISE FOR 31 INVENTIONS THAT BUILT OUR WORLD . . .


‘Would you like to learn some supremely nerdy facts about the history of tram, canal, rail and power networks? Door numbering systems? Windows and doors, sewers and shopping? Lifts and escalators? Go on, of course you do. Jonn has emptied his extraordinary brain and created a magnificent, unobvious tour through the underappreciated systems which form the backdrop to our lives.’
TIM DUNN, presenter of Secrets of the London Underground

‘31 Inventions is an accessible history of civilisation told through the things around us we mostly take for granted but someone – usually someone quite odd – thought up in the past. Elledge’s writing style is warm, witty and erudite, reminiscent of the late, great Douglas Adams. You will not be able to stop quoting facts from this book at everyone you meet, and they will be as amused and intrigued as you are.’
LEWIS BASTON, author of Borderlines

‘Fantastic stuff! Jonn has a real gift for making the stories of everyday objects thrilling and unputdownable.’
JAY FOREMAN, co-author of Map Men

‘Jonn Elledge brings an infectious enthusiasm and a joie de vivre to this masterly story of the building blocks of modern life. I loved it. Read this book to truly understand the world around you, building by building, street by street, city by city.’
JACK CORNISH, author of On Every Street

‘A smart, funny and endlessly fascinating book. Elledge has a wonderful ability to take something seemingly mundane and, with great charm, use it to transform the way you see the wider world.’
RHIANNON GARTH JONES, author of All Roads Lead to Rome

‘Massively entertaining … Equal parts history, science and farce – but never dull.’
JIM WATERSON, LondonCentric

‘Fascinating and funny – it’ll have you geeking out over the most everyday things!’
JAGO HAZZARD, YouTuber

‘Far funnier than any book about infrastructure has any right to be.’
DANIEL KNOWLES, author of Carmageddon