{"product_id":"brilliantly-bad-inventions-so-terrible-theyre-good-9780008558659","title":"Brilliantly Bad: Inventions So Terrible They're Good","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eA miscellany of actual patents for wonderfully bizarre inventions, \u003cem\u003eBrilliantly Bad\u003c\/em\u003e is a salute to what the human mind can achieve - even if it probably shouldn't.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis collection of the strangest ideas ever patented, ranging from the bizarre and baffling to the *oh so close* to genius, is a true celebration of human ingenuity in all its (occasionally) pointless glory.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eINVENTIONS INCLUDE: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eA coat that doubles as a urinal\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA musical condom\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAn automated pet petter\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFace-lifting earrings\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA weight-lifting device for the penis\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark Tanner grew up in Liverpool, where his father was constantly making things. Some of the things he made, such as a coffee pot stand fashioned from an old coat-hanger, Mark still has. Others, such as the bird feeding table designed to sit on top of their rotary washing line, he doesn't. Brought up in such an environment, he developed an appreciation and affection for a particular type of inventor's mindset from a young age. After a brief spell in academia, Mark worked in TV, making documentaries such as \u003cem\u003eHigh Anxieties: The Mathematics of Chaos and Dangerous Knowledge\u003c\/em\u003e - \u003cem\u003eThe Search for Infinity\u003c\/em\u003e for the BBC. In his spare time he writes and edits, including his new book \u003cem\u003eBrilliantly Bad\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as \u003cem\u003eGreat British Inventions\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Debt Generation\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eWar Letters 1914-1918\u003c\/em\u003e. Mark currently lives quietly in Lancaster with his partner and daughter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50455078600978,"sku":"9780008558659","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f317b621-19fb-4104-90f5-4bcf7246e158.jpg?v=1729873472","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/brilliantly-bad-inventions-so-terrible-theyre-good-9780008558659","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}