Customer Reviews

How Things Work Vol. I- IV

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4 star:		(2)
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This book is the best "how things work" book there is. I first saw it in my local library, then I bought it used over Amazon.

It is a 4 volume set, originally published in Germany or Switerzland around 1970. It was translated into English soon thereafter and is now out of print, but you can buy it used on EBay, or Amazon, or ABE Books.com.

A puzzling thing about the English edition of the book is that it does not include the name of the editor or author(s), nor does it include the publication or copyright date. Odd. The only name mentioned is the illustrator, R.J. Segalat.

The best thing about this "How THings Work" book is that it is for adults. It is not a colorful kiddy-directed book that has more eye-candy than content. Serious engineers and scientists will be satisfied with the detail.

The coverage is broad and deep. Each volume is about 350 pages (5" x 11" pages) for a total of over 1,200 pages. Topics range from chemical processes, to gears, to valves, to electricity, map-making, jets, sails, printing, submarines, guns, machines, harvesters, looms, locomotives, on and on and on.

I knew this book was special when I discovered that they included a very special, but rarely seen device: the machine that will draw a straight line when you do not have a straight edge available.

The downsides of the book? (1) the illustrations, tho plentiful, are black-and-white; and (2) the entries for recently-evolving technologies are out-of-date (e.g. space travel, computers, cameras).

If you are over 18 years old, I recommend this book over the colorful "How Things Work" books you will find in your local bookstore. Go ahead and buy a used copy.

But I hope they publish a new edition someday soon.

I marvel at "How Things Work" today even more than I did years ago.

The text and illustrations are thoughtfully and simply done in a classic example of excellent technical writing. The compilation features a bevy of practical sciences put into layman's terms. Adult readers will be able to understand "How Things Work," but younger readers will find some difficulty, since this is, again, a technical work, and provides little to engage the younger crowds. I myself tried to read it as a pre-teen, but would have loved it even more as a College student. As the other reviewers might agree, there needs to be an up-to-date edition.

The nature of nineteenth and twentieth century technologies are covered up to the publish date of 1970. Of course, such important technologies as microcomputers are not included, but the wealth of information provided is still very useful.

Ever wondered how a steam locomotive works? How cars work, from brakes to valve timing? Cameras? Mine ventilation? Televisions? Nuclear reactors?

What is most ingenious is that these technologies are displayed in an associated manner, so that one can see, for instance, where gasoline comes from, then see exactly how it is processed, and then how it functions in the engine of a car, and even how a complex road intersection functions. A similar vertical process example from the work would be: boxite mining followed by aluminum production, die-casting, to all manners of welding, to aircraft design and production, flight, and even vertical takeoff. Sorry if I get a little carried away... but this is the stuff every gadgeteer's dreams are made of.

As if that were'nt enough, chemical compounds, patent and inventor names, and intermittent black-and-white photos are added on top of the impressive ink illustrations. The four volumes themselves are well built and sturdily bound, with a nice typeface that's easy to read.

It is intersting to note that since a good deal of modern engineering has to do with weapons, that the editors have included the full spectrum; from rifles, artillery, bombs and tanks, to submarines, torpedoes, and nuclear warheads. All are illustrated in a manner which describes exactly how they work. (For those who fear the misuse of such knowledge, the reader will not be able to build such weapons in their back yard for lack of more detailed information and special processed materials and machinery which are not available to the general public.)

The books were published by Edito-Service of Geneva, originally written in German and translated, rather well, into English. The German title is "Wie Funktioniert Das?" or "How does it work?" An introduction is given by the Lord Ritchie-Calder, who writes:

"I do not know who thought of 'The Way Things Work,' nor how it was compiled, but I know it is a valuable peice of communication (to use an overworked word) to the general public and, speaking professionally, a useful crib for science writers and for scientists and technologists as well. It is simple without being condescending."

If you plan to buy, get the entire set of four books in good condition, instead of each volume seperately. $40. USD seems cheap for this set IMO.

This is a very good book set and yes its dated but that is what made it easy to understand. My outdated brain could understand the basic ideas presented here which allowed me to understand the more modern versions of the subjects discussed in the book. At the very least it is a pleasant read.

In addition to the information from the other reviews, Volume 3

discusses how atomic bombs are made..interesting.