{"product_id":"maintenance-of-everything-part-one-9781953953490","title":"Maintenance: Of Everything: Part One","description":"\u003cp\u003eMaintenance: Of Everything is a wide-ranging and provocative call to expand what we mean by 'maintenance'  not just the tiresome preventative tasks but the whole grand process of keeping a thing going. It invites us to understand not only the profound impact maintenance has on our daily lives but also why taking responsibility for maintaining some\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first in-depth exploration of maintenance  and a powerful argument for its civilisational importance  from the author of\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow Buildings Learn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e and creator of the\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhole Earth Catalog.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaintenance is what keeps everything going. It's what keeps life going. Yet it's also easy to shirk or defer  until the thing breaks, the system falters, and everything stops. The apparent paradox is profound: Maintenance is absolutely necessary and maintenance is optional.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first in a multi-volume work, \u003ci\u003eMaintenance: Of Everything, Part One\u003c\/i\u003e offers a comprehensive overview of the civilisational importance of maintenance. The book begins with a dramatic contest of maintenance styles under life-critical conditions: the Golden Globe around-the-world solo sailboat race of 1968. It goes on to explore the insights that can be gleaned from vehicle maintenance, from the zeal of motorcycle maintainers to the maintenance philosophies that fought for dominance of the auto industry to the state of electric vehicle manufacturing today, with absorbing detours into the evolution of precision in manufacturing, the enduring importance of manuals, sustainment in the military, and the never-ending battle against corrosion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaintenance: Of Everything\u003c\/i\u003e is a wide-ranging and provocative call to expand what we mean by 'maintenance'  not just the tiresome preventative tasks but the whole grand process of keeping a thing going. It invites us to understand not only the profound impact maintenance has on our daily lives but also why taking responsibility for maintaining something  whether a motorcycle, a monument, or our very planet  can be a radical act.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781953953490\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 308\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 01 Apr 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Stripe Matter Inc\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United States\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.5(H)x15.9(L)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStewart Brand\u003c\/b\u003e is the cofounder and president of The Long Now Foundation and cofounder of Global Business Network, the Hackers Conference, and the WELL. He created and edited the National Book Award-winning \u003ci\u003eWhole Earth Catalog\u003c\/i\u003e from 1968 to 1998. His books include \u003ci\u003eThe Media Lab\u003c\/i\u003e (1987), \u003ci\u003eHow Buildings Learn\u003c\/i\u003e (1994), \u003ci\u003eThe Clock of the Long Now\u003c\/i\u003e (1999), and \u003ci\u003eWhole Earth Discipline\u003c\/i\u003e (2009). He was the subject of the documentary \u003ci\u003eWe Are As Gods\u003c\/i\u003e (2020). He graduated from Stanford with a degree in biology and served as an infantry officer in the US Army.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e“The always original mind of Stewart Brand here makes a persuasive case that keeping the human show on the road through well-planned maintenance is as vital and as fascinating a task as innovation and discovery themselves—and that it is, in itself, an art as much as a craft. A deliciously good book.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Matt Ridley, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Rational Optimist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Civilization is maintenance. No one else but Stewart Brand is talking about the art and science of maintenance and how to do it well. This will be an instant classic.\" \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of \u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “No one inspires long-term thinking better than Stewart Brand, and he is in top form with this exploration into what it takes to make things last. Brand masterfully takes us on a journey through the world of the fixers keeping the gears of civilization rolling. If you’re the kind of person who wants to know why things break and how to stop it, you should read this book.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Once again, Stewart Brand reframes our worldview with a new perspective. You may not imagine you would be interested in rust, Soviet tanks, or tricked-out Model Ts—that is, until Brand reexamines them through the lens of maintenance. He draws you in with tales of heroism and tragedy, brilliant foresight and deep stupidity. Along the way, you’ll discover some surprising information about the hidden umbrellas in Rolls-Royce doors, packing for a sea voyage, and building a stone wall. \u003ci\u003eMaintenance: Of Everything\u003c\/i\u003e will change the way you look at everything. It is destined to be a classic.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Danny Hillis, cofounder of Applied Invention\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Stewart Brand is back with a manifesto on maintenance, the tool that empowers all tools. Preventative maintenance, deferred maintenance, and emergency maintenance: this much-needed, no-nonsense treatise illuminates the difference, and why it counts.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—George Dyson, author of \u003ci\u003eDarwin Among the Machines\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTuring’s Cathedral\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  “What a splendid book to read while fixing an old house. I stopped moaning and whining and became a quiet hero of relentless ‘sustainment.’”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—Bruce Sterling, author and editor of \u003ci\u003eMirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  “I got the print galley, then faced a problem. My wife, an engineer and designer, stole it from me and gobbled it down in a few days, refusing to let me put my hands on it, all the while saying irritating things like, ‘Wow, this is really interesting!’ or ‘Huh, I didn't know that!’ or, worst of all, suddenly laughing and saying, ‘I won't spoil it for you, but I think you’ll really like this bit.’ So I didn’t get a chance to read it until the weekend. Then I became the annoying one… I was constantly taking breaks to read the book and popping up to talk about Model Ts spawning a culture of repair, or how Germany adopted French ideas to beat France on the battlefield, or how we need modern-day Joseph Moxons, and so on. I felt smarter for having read this book and lucky for being alive at a time when Stewart Brand is writing it.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—Charles C. Mann, author of \u003ci\u003e1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Stewart Brand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48979755106521,"sku":"9781953953490","price":69.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781953953490.jpg?v=1784470311","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/maintenance-of-everything-part-one-9781953953490","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}