A definitive reference on the ring bit, considered by some as one of the most humane and effective bits for a horse bridle. From as far back as the fourteenth century cavalry units of European, Middle Eastern, and Asian empires through the Spanish Colonial Period to today, this book offers insights into the history, function, and uses of the ring bit. In addition to the story of the ring bit, examples of early Moorish and Arab ring bits, as well as 16th-century Spanish bits are beautifully portrayed in detail. While no longer the bit of favor, the book documents modern uses of the ring bit in...

After more than two centuries, the process of opening a bottle of wine changed significantly in the 1970s with the introduction of the Screwpull. This is the story of the development and realization of one of the best devices in the world for removing a cork from a wine bottle, the Screwpull, and its inventor, Herbert Allen. Alongside hundreds of examples of experimental prototypes, patent drawings, and many production models, the story unfolds to reveal Allen's conceptualization of how the Screwpull should work and how imitation knockoffs affected his market. The story goes on to detail the...