Code Name Ginger: The Story Behind Segway and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World

Code Name Ginger: The Story Behind Segway and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World

CODE NAME GINGER delivers a masterful narrative about the art of invention, the soul of an inventor, and the birth of a revolutionary machine. For anyone who has ever wondered what it was like inside Thomas Edison's lab or the Wright Brothers' garage, here is the twenty-first century equivalent. This is the story behind the creation of "Ginger, " code name for the top-secret project that renowned inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen believes will change the world: the Segway Human Transporter. One of the most talked-about products of recent times, the Segway is a self-balancing, electronic "people mover"--an engineering marvel that Kamen calls "magic sneakers." Kamen gave journalist Steve Kemper exclusive access to the project for the critical eighteen months during which the Segway was designed, prototyped, and readied for manufacture. In Code Name Ginger, Kemper offers a gripping chronicle of raw innovation, high finance, ingenious engineering, and lofty ambition. He tells the inside story of the collaboration and clashes between a strong-willed founder and his engineers and marketers--and the investors who gambled $90 million on his pioneering idea. Readers step into Kamen's eccentric and idealistic world of invention and sit in on secret meetings with high-powered deal makers such as John Doerr and business leaders such as Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. It's a bumpy journey, but an exhilarating one, filled with flashes of brilliance, multimillion-dollar misjudgments, and passionate people on a quest." What really makes the book's engine rev is the outsized personality of Dean Kamen, and the clash of ..." -- New York Observer, June 16, 2003

"... he documents it well in an intense, highly readable book." -- San Jose Mercury News, June 22, 2003

"the book's portrayal of the passionate, eccentric subculture of engineering is fascinating..." -- Boston Globe, June 15, 2003

... [Steve] Kemper is at his best ... -- Popular Science, July 2003

... early chapters of "Code Name Ginger" are rich with stories about Mr. Kamen's zany brilliance and showmanship. -- Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2003

..." works best as a personality profile; second-best as a "Soul of the New Machine" type of project diary." -- Network World

...Code Name Ginger is a lively ride around the block... -- Washington Post, JUNE 8, 2003

...Kemper used his access well to write a fascinating account of the messy process of invention... -- New York Times, June 8, 2003

To his credit, Kemper retains a sense of balance, portraying Kamen as a fascinating yet flawed idealist ... -- Fortune Magazine, July 7, 2003

…delivers the exciting behind-the-scenes story of bringing a dream to the marketplace. -- BookPage, June 2003

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press; First Edition edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578516730
• ISBN-13: 978-1578516735
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds