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Small Things Considered by Henry Petroski, Alfred A. Knopf, $25, ISBN 1400040507 Reviewed by Roy Herbert

THE first few chapters of Henry Petroski鈥檚 book might test your stamina. In these, he contemplates the constraints that hamper designers. The subtitle of Small Things Considered is 鈥淲hy there is no perfect design鈥� and this involves him in explaining much that you probably won鈥檛 find interesting and that you may already appreciate. These contemplations are linked, for example, to ordinary drinking glasses 鈥� ordinary to Americans, that is 鈥� in 10-ounce, 12-ounce and 16-ounce sizes. It鈥檚 all fairly dull and so are the measures to defeat glare from car headlights in front and behind you and how to position a car鈥檚 cup holder so that it is safe and convenient. But there is just enough interest to keep curiosity alive and tackle what follows. And that proves fascinating.

Petroski picks up speed with the general problems of fitting objects into boxes, including CDs, car equipment and ink cartridges, and how to pack a car鈥檚 trunk or boot for a holiday. By the time he reaches the aims and compromises that face supermarket designers he is so interesting that you could be taking a critical look at your local check-outs on your next visit.

Here is where the small things, their design histories and importance, begin: paper bags, doorknobs, toothbrushes, duct tape, WD 40 (Water Displacement, not War Department as many suppose) and non-stick pans among them. Nothing will stick to Teflon, so how do you get it to stick to an aluminium frying pan? This caused a lot of problems for designers, and Petroski tries an epigram 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 stand the heat, design a cooler kitchen.鈥�

This turns out to be an enjoyable book with wonders in it such as futuristic supermarkets that slowly revolve like a horizontal London Eye or ferris wheel. It will open your eyes to the deliberate forms, good or bad, of everyday objects.