 The book traces the work of inventors and naturalists in the United States from the Colonial era through the mid-19th century, and relates scientific developments in the century following.Critical response to the book was positive.Jane E. Brody, writing for "The New York Times", called it "a fast-moving, informative and thoroughly enjoyable chronicle, with amusing anecdotes, legends and interesting sidelights that reflect the personalities, lives and times of the men who shaped our nation scientifically."