The idea for this book came from Chapter 13 of Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond, entitled Necessity’s Mother. There he describes fourteen factors cited by historians as being encouraging of innovation in societies in the past. It became apparent to me that a more concise list could be developed that had greater applicability to today’s world, and to my environment.

This made me highly motivated to read up on the history of technology, economics, the biographies of scientists and inventors, and other relevant books, a delightful trip through excellent research and stimulating ideas. Using many of the ideas expressed in those books, and applying my own experience, I was able to develop a concise list of factors that could be used as a scorecard of sorts for evaluating societies, present and past, in terms of their innovative output. This book provides a summary of the relevant historical events and innovations, and a description of the development of the five essential conditions.

Later in the book I provide a brief biographical sketch of three highly motivated innovators: Galileo, Philippe de Girard, and Thomas Edison, and show how the five conditions played out in their lives. Most people have never heard of Mssr. de Girard, and his is a fascinating story. In the final chapters, I show how the critical conditions apply to different kinds of societies in the past and to different countries today.

I hope you find the account as interesting as I found the experience of writing it.