Includes bibliographical references page 32.

"From an early age, Franz Gsellmann is drawn to machines like the family cuckoo clock. He hears a tiny whisper calling him to imagine, discover, create... but growing up on a farm in rural Austria means there's no time for playing and imagining. Despite having to quit school to do farm work, Franz never loses his urge to invent. He collects hundreds of parts and interesting materials, often working late into the night to build them into something fantastic: a phantasmagorical contraption he calls his World Machine. Powered by curiosity and the joy of creating, he ignores the ridicule of townspeople, working in secret, until finally, he finds an audience who understands the true value of his machine."--,Provided by publisher.