Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works [Hardcover]

Marshall Brain (Author), HowStuffWorks.com (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2001 | Series: Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works

Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works is a lavish, full-color, highly visual resource for those with hungry minds who crave an understanding of the way things work around them-from submarine ships to digital technology to toilets!
With over 1,000 full-color illustrations and photos showing step-by-step images of how stuff works, these easy-to-understand explanations cover the most popular and interesting subject areas, including Technology, Science, Health, Fitness, Transportation, and more! Sample topics include: How CDs Work, How Car Engines Work, and How Nuclear Radiation and Power Work.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the award-winning Web site visited by more than 2.5 million people every month comes How Stuff Works, the definitive guide to the inner workings of everyday items. In this fun and infinitely informative guide, Marshall Brain and staff of "stuff" experts at HowStuffWorks, Inc. unravel the mysteries of more than 135 intriguing topics. You'll be fascinated by the world around you!

In Marshall Brain's trademark easy-to-understand language, complemented by beautiful full-color illustrations, you'll discover the basic mechanisms behind everything from toasters to turbochargers, dieting to DVD players, and cell phones to submarines.

Technology and scientific principles are all around you: whether in the chips needed to execute commands on your computer, or in determining how many calories you need to burn in order to lose five pounds. This exciting book explains—in a way you can easily grasp—how technology is a part of everyday life.

How Stuff Works contains:

• More than 135 articles written in Marshall Brain's award-winning style
• Hundreds of original color drawings that illuminate the incisive text
• "Cool Facts," "Did You Know?," and "And Another Thing..." sidebars that give you extra, insider information
• Color photographs

No matter what your age, if you're intrigued by how stuff works, you won't be able to put down How Stuff Works!

From the Back Cover

"A+" —Entertainment Weekly

1999 50 Best of the Web —Popular Science Magazine

Best of the Web 2000 —Forbes Magazine

"A+" —Washington Post Online

Pick of the Week —Yahoo!

Super Site —TBS Superstation

1999 Reference Site of the Year —LibrarySpot.com

Have you ever wondered...

• How helicopters are able to fly sideways?
• Why you crave chocolate and caffeine?
• What stops a car when you step on the break pedal?
• Where email messages go after you press the Send button?

In this definitive, generously illustrated guide, Marshall Brain and the experts at the award-winning Web site HowStuffWorks.com explain the magic behind everyday items and processes. You'll learn what the Internet really is, how airplanes stay up and submarines stay down, what GPS is and why you might need it, and how a whole film can be captured on a tiny DVD.

With this eye-opening book, you'll never look at a toaster, cell phone, or tattoo parlor the same way again!

• Hundreds of full-color illustrations and photos showing step-by-step images of how stuff works.
• More than 135 informative articles show you how the items you use every day work.
• All explained in Marshall Brain's trademark down-to-earth voice.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764565184
• ISBN-13: 978-0764565182
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Science & Math > Reference
  • #49 in Books > Education & Reference > Fun Facts > Curiosities & Wonders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, bad editing, January 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works (Hardcover)

Overall this is a good book, filled with all kinds of interesting information. However, I felt that the level of editing polish was poor. Typos and illustration errors are frequent, and the writing style is uneven and awkward at times. It's also clear that the authors of each article did not read the other articles, because the same information is sometimes redundantly discussed in two or three separate articles. What's worst, though, is the number of outright factual errors: a proton does not have neutral charge, the abbreviation for microseconds is not ms, etc. My advice is to wait for the second edition, or buy one of the many similar books from other publishers instead.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FULL OF INTERESTING FACTS, September 26, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works (Hardcover)

This book is a great book for the amateur scientist or anyone who has an inquisitive nature. If you know someone who likes to take things apart to see how the "really" work or is forever asking "how" and "why" things work the way they do, this book is especially for that type of individual.

From airplanes and cell phones to viruses and other areas of interest, the book contains a wealth of informative facts and trivia. A terrific book for the money; it is quite in-depth but easy to read and understand.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I've been looking for..., October 10, 2001

By 

"legaleagll" (Grayslake, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works (Hardcover)

This book is a wealth of information that everyone should have at their fingertips. No you don't really need to know all this stuff by memory, but it is wonderful to be able open a reference book such as this to find out How Stuff Works. I love the website, and this book is a welcome addition to my home.