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Invention: A Life Hardcover – September 7, 2021

by James Dyson (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 460 ratings
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Dyson has become a byword for high-performing products, technology, design, and invention. Now, James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life, "one of the year's most relevant and revelatory business books" (The Wall Street Journal).

Famously, over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of the cyclonic vacuum cleaner that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In devoting all his resources to iteratively developing the technology, he risked it all, but out of many failures and setbacks came hard-fought success. His products—including vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and hair stylers, and fans and purifiers—are not only revolutionary technologies, but design classics. This was a legacy of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous artists, designers, and inventors of the era, as well as his engineering heroes such as Frank Whittle and Alex Issigonis.

In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world. It is a compelling and dramatic tale, with many obstacles overcome. Dyson has always looked to the future, even setting up his own university to help provide the next generation of engineers and designers. For, as he says, “everything changes all the time, so experience is of little use.”

Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product, an aspiring entrepreneur, whether you appreciate great design or a page-turning read, Invention: A Life offers you inspiration, hope, and much more.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1982188421
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1982188429
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Whatever problem Mr. Dyson has tackled, he has sought to come up with a product that is paradigm-shifting....The bulk of this new book focuses on Mr. Dyson’s inventing, promoting, manufacturing and selling products beyond the upright vacuum....in some detail and with plenty of passion.... Stories of consumer products and gadgets drive Mr. Dyson’s narrative forward, but parallel to describing the process of inventing, Mr. Dyson tells a story of the struggles of entrepreneurship."
—Wall Street Journal

"An entertaining and inspiring memoir by a fellow who’s nearly impossible to pigeonhole—and good thing, too....The British inventor and vacuum-cleaner magnate delivers a paean to creativity and creation....His overarching point is very well taken: He makes a powerful argument that our educational systems are not giving sufficient attention to fostering creativity and the independent spirit required of the inventor, thereby stifling innovation."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“[Dyson’s] written a book called Invention, but that’s the publisher’s title. He wanted to call it Failure because what we’ve all forgotten in our modern-day blame culture is that no achievement is possible without foul-ups. Every successful invention is the result of trial and error, with the emphasis on error…the central message in his book is that there are no shortcuts to success.”
—Sunday Times of London

"I left this book enlightened about engineering and design, and impressed by Dyson's dogged, trailblazing spirit."
—Sunday Times

"This is not a book about business, but rather education, mentorship, and self-reliance. Invention: A Life celebrates the unknown and encourages stepping into it and uncovering entrepreneurism."
—Women Love Tech

"Dyson, like other great entrepreneurs, finds joy in failing because each experiment teaches him something he can use to reinvent a product or category. In fact, the words "failure" and "fail" appear over 50 times throughout Dyson's book...Dyson's famous 5,126 failures offer valuable lessons in storytelling for all entrepreneurs and business owners."
—Inc.com

"In his book Invention: A Life, Dyson, explains not just how he built his empire but how his life is as much about failure as it is about success—and why that makes him happy."
—Air Mail

About the Author

James Dyson was born in Norfolk in 1947 and studied at the Royal College of Art in London, before joining Rotork to engineer and make the Sea Truck, a high-speed flat-bottomed boat, with Jeremy Fry. Best known for his revolutionary cyclonic vacuum cleaner, his products have been sold around the world, renowned for their innovative technology, design, and efficiency. James believes that engineers can improve the world and he helps them to do so through the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, The James Dyson Foundation, and the annual James Dyson Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (September 7, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982188421
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982188429
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 460 ratings

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James Dyson

James Dyson

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
460 global ratings
Exciting book
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A great book. Glad I got a copy from Blackwell! I'd recommend it to anyone.
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Top reviews from the United States

Sean N. Borde
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023
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An interesting and inspiring story of the life of a smart, courageous, life changing pioneer and brilliant inventor. The world needs more James Dysons. Thoroughly enjoyed this journey.
One person found this helpful
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steve anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Love
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023
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love !!! Quick response!
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Ice Cube
4.0 out of 5 stars Hold The Politics
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2022
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Great book. A little too rant-y. Feels exclusionary if you are not British. You have to do the work of universalizing the tribal commentary to relate to a great inventor and pioneer. The YouTube video companions might be a better time investment if you are not interested in British politics and just interested in James Dyson’s inventive personality and how he manifests it in a great business.
3 people found this helpful
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Bob Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for liberal arts majors
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021
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Good book for liberal arts majors who were never interested in science. Many of the author’s comments can be applied to the work people do outside of manufacturing and designing. This book made me more interested in science and and scientific discoveries. This book also made me more aware of how important entrepreneurship is to the continued growth of society.
6 people found this helpful
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R
3.0 out of 5 stars did not click for me
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2023
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I wanted to like this book but couldn't finish it.
One person found this helpful
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T. Gasko
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating reading
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2021
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I read the entire book in one evening, I couldn’t put it down. He explains all the steps, all the trails, and all the tribulations to becoming the number one manufacturer of cleaners in the world.
6 people found this helpful
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Unus, sed leo
5.0 out of 5 stars Became a multibillionaire and a British knight by making and selling a machine that sucks!
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2022
James Dyson (that's Sir James Dyson, of course) has written an autohagiography. A hagiography is a biography of a saint, and by extension, any laudatory biography. An autohagiography is when you write your own biography and it reads like you are writing about a saint -- yourself.

That's what James Dyson does in this book. He writes about his life in a way that unashamedly praises himself and his own outlook on life. But surprisingly, that's not bad. It works out pretty well.

James Dyson has reason to brag. Thought to be the fourth richest person in the United Kingdom, with billions of pounds to his name, James Dyson built it all on the back of his risky bet on a vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction. He bet all his money and four years of his life on being able to use cyclone separator technology to build a machine that sucks. And he won.

His is an interesting story. James Dyson lost his father to cancer at the age of eight, and it colored the rest of his life. He points out that 85% of British prime ministers lost their fathers at an early age, and many US presidents (including George Washington, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama).

James Dyson did not have an easy road to the riches and fame he now has. He took a lot of risks and he failed a lot, over and over again. But the failures were never of a devastating kind, and so failure made him stronger.

James Dyson interlaces his life story with his observations on life. He is very perceptive about many things, but a bit blind about others. His book is a lot like his life -- where he fails it is in minor things and where he succeeds it is major.

That makes the book worth reading, hagiographical as it is. Especially if you (as I do) have an interest in invention. The subtitle of the book is "Invention: A Life", and the book's value lies as much in its musings on invention as in outlining James Dyson's life.

Some of the principles he discusses:

-- Inventing is not just finding what works, but what doesn't work. You need to experiment to the point of failure to find the best solution.

-- Failure teaches more than success does. But there's no guarantee that repeated failure will lead to success.
5 people found this helpful
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Phil
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2021
A fascinating story of how Dyson created some of the most innovative consumer products with lots of advice and opinions about a wide range of subjects. The book could have ended at 3/4 through, but Dyson chose to add a lot of his thoughts about education, British innovation, being badly treated by the press and then provides shout outs to some of his favorite employees and students. The one exception is the very last chapter where his wife does a great job describing Dyson's tenacity and other characteristics. As a product designer I found his experience and advice to be very wise, reassuring and motivating. I listened to the Audible version in his own voice, which made it even better.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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daniel elijah
5.0 out of 5 stars High quality book, nice pictures, long stories
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Pretty good book, a bit of unnecessarily long stories (for me) which shows Dyson's appreciation for design & invention, i appreciate the photos included and it reminds me to stay relentless, & think creatively, simply and out of any box or old way of doing things
-Daniel (Desvil) Elijah (Pavleu.com)
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David James
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
As new condition, so as described. This is not always the cased with some sellers, so will definately use them again.
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Pedro
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in Spain on August 10, 2023
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inspiring story
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars une vie Aspirante
Reviewed in France on June 22, 2022
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Chouette livre inspirant d’une vie inspirée. Les 50 première pages un peu longues à lire. Après ça devient excitant. A lire
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Schorsch
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring for young people
Reviewed in Germany on May 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I want to become a very good engineer now
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