Maintenance of Everything: Part One by Stewart Brand

Maintenance of Everything: Part One - The Civilizational Importance of Maintenance

#1 Best Seller in Vehicle Owner's Manuals & Maintenance Guides - The first in-depth exploration of maintenance and a powerful argument for its civilizational importance, from the creator of the Whole Earth Catalog and author of How Buildings Learn.

Why Maintenance Matters

Maintenance is what keeps everything going. It keeps life going. Yet it's easy to shirk or defer—until things break, systems falter, and everything stops. The paradox is profound: Maintenance is absolutely necessary and maintenance is optional.

A Comprehensive Overview

This first volume in a multi-volume work offers a wide-ranging exploration of maintenance's critical role in civilization. Stewart Brand begins with the dramatic 1968 Golden Globe around-the-world solo sailboat race—a life-critical contest of maintenance styles.

What You'll Discover:

• Insights from vehicle maintenance, from motorcycle zealots to auto industry philosophies
• The evolution of precision in manufacturing
• The enduring importance of manuals
• Military sustainment strategies
• The never-ending battle against corrosion
• Electric vehicle manufacturing today

A Radical Act

Brand invites us to expand what we mean by "maintenance"—not just tiresome preventative tasks but the grand process of keeping things going. Taking responsibility for maintaining something, whether a motorcycle, monument, or our planet, can be a radical act.

Critical Acclaim

"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."—Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist

"A deliciously good book."—Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired

Book Details

• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 308
• Publisher: Stripe Press
• Publication Date: January 20, 2026
• ISBN-13: 978-1953953490
• ISBN-10: 1953953492
• Language: English
• Weight: 1.14 pounds
• Dimensions: 6.25 x 2 x 9.25 inches
• Series: Book 1 of Maintenance: Of Everything
• Genre: Non-Fiction, Technology, Philosophy

Perfect For

• Stewart Brand fans
• Philosophy of technology readers
• Vehicle maintenance enthusiasts
• Systems thinkers
• Sustainability advocates