As previously observed, extraordinary successes tend to be considered extraordinaryprecisely because it is hard to teach (relative to the then-current level of understanding and systematization). On the other hand, famous failures are much more likely to contain lessons on what to avoid next time.
Books about epic screwups have constituted some of my more enlightening reading. Do you have any such books to recommend?
Please break up multiple recommendations into multiple comments, one book per comment, so they can be voted on and discussed separately. And please say at least a little about the book's subject and what sort of lesson you learned from it.
To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design, by Henry Petroski
Summary:
Petroski takes us through a bunch of conspicuous engineering failures throughout history and describes the technical and sociological solutions that followed.
Lessons:
Engineering runs through alternating cycles in history where periods of innovation, new ideas/materials, and speed result in disasters (the Tacoma Narrows bridge), followed by periods of conservatism and overbuilding (the Firth of Forth).
I think the best cautionary tale in this book is the 1981 collapse of the skywalk in the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City from what was thought an extremely minor design change. In any event, the book addresses lots of failures and is well-written and readable.
Followup to: Unteachable Excellence
As previously observed, extraordinary successes tend to be considered extraordinary precisely because it is hard to teach (relative to the then-current level of understanding and systematization). On the other hand, famous failures are much more likely to contain lessons on what to avoid next time.
Books about epic screwups have constituted some of my more enlightening reading. Do you have any such books to recommend?
Please break up multiple recommendations into multiple comments, one book per comment, so they can be voted on and discussed separately. And please say at least a little about the book's subject and what sort of lesson you learned from it.