In the tradition of A Cartoon History of the Universe and, most recent, Randall Munroe’s What If? comes Brief Histories of Everyday Objects - an intrepid, graphic tour through the unusual stories behind the creation of some of the overlooked items that surround us in our daily lives.

Chapters introduce readers to a cast of inventors whose ideas led to the ballpoint pen riots, cowboy wars, and really bad Victorian practical jokes. Structured around the different locations in our home and daily life - the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, and the grocery store.

Award-nominated comic artist Andy Warner traces the often surprising and sometimes complex histories behind the items we often take for granted.

Readers learn how: Velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer after he took his dog for a walk; the coffee filter was created by a German housewife; the Slinky was devised by a naval engineerer while on board ship; and Monopoly was developed by a radical feminist as an anticapitalist lesson.

This is both a book of histories and a book about histories. It explores how whims beget realities, lies become legends, trade routes spring up, and empires rise and fall - all from the perspective of your toothbrush or toilet.