The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, Second Edition with a new chapter by the author

The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about. But the container didn't just happen. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential. In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. Published in hardcover on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe. Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the

Outstanding and comprehensive discussion of everything about, and resulting from, the shipping container. OUTSTANDING! This book discusses everything about the origin, development, and consequences of the shipping container box. It discusses it's early attempts in the 1920s through the 1950s, it's revolutionary development by Malcom McLane in the 1950s and 1960s, and the world - wide economic and social consequences. It gives a thorough presentation of how some long - established ports such as the London east end, the New York Manhattan and . Mec said The original "Internet of Things". I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the "The original "Internet of Things"" according to Mec. I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the 20th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box (20 feet or The original "Internet of Things" Mec I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the 20th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box (20 feet or 40 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. 0 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. 0th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box ("The original "Internet of Things"" according to Mec. I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the 20th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box (20 feet or The original "Internet of Things" Mec I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the 20th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box (20 feet or 40 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. 0 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. 0 feet or The original "Internet of Things" Mec I enjoy "how stuff works" books and this one delivered!Container shipping is a business-to-business technology. Few consumers have ever directly sent or received a TEU container. Thus, one of the transformative technologies of the 20th century has gotten relatively little public attention.The technology itself is straightforward: put a lot of cargo in a large box (20 feet or 40 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. 0 feet long), seal the box, move the box over the world transp. Mostyn said The shipping container killed Detroit.. I found 'The Box' was absolutely fascinating. The story of the shipping container may have been largely ignored, but it explains so much about the onset of globalisation in late "The shipping container killed Detroit." according to Mostyn. I found 'The Box' was absolutely fascinating. The story of the shipping container may have been largely ignored, but it explains so much about the onset of globalisation in late 20th century.Until the mid 1960s, ocean freight was transported in breakbulk ships; the cargo manually jammed into the ships' holds by teams of longshoremen. The process was laborious and time consuming. Major port cities like New York and London were structured . 0th century.Until the mid 1960s, ocean freight was transported in breakbulk ships; the cargo manually jammed into the ships' holds by teams of longshoremen. The process was laborious and time consuming. Major port cities like New York and London were structured

The story he tells is that of a classic disruptive technology: the world worked in one fashion before the container came onto the scene, and in a completely different fashion after it took hold."--Joe Nocera, The New York Times See full review bit/Box-NYT-Nocera"By artfully weaving together the nuts and bolts of what happened at which port with the grand sweep of economic history, Levinson has produced a marvelous read for anyone who cares about how the interconnected world economy came to be."--Neil Irwin, Washington Post"Mr Levinson. Ferguson, The Wall Street Journal"A smart, engaging book. I'll never look at a truck in the same way again."--Howard Davies, The Times (UK)"Like much of today's international cargo, Marc Levinson's The Box arrives 'just in time.'It is a tribute to the box itself that far-off places matter so much to us

. Marc Levinson is an economist in Washington, DC. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, an economist at a leading investment bank, and finance and economics editor at The Economist