Customer Reviews

What's what, a visual glossary of the physical world

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Unfortunately, this book is now out of print, but if you can find a second-hand copy somewhere, grab it. "What's What" covers pretty much the same ground as DK Publishing's "Ultimate Visual Dictionary". If you own both (and I do) you'll find that they complement each other quite nicely. "What's What" covers areas that the other book doesn't (courtrooms and prison yards, for example, are presented with labels -- very helpful if you're writing a courtroom or prison story and you want to know what the names of everything are.) Likewise, "Ultimate Visual" covers areas that "What's What" doesn't.

In short, both books are essential to writers, researchers, or anyone who just wants to know what the name of something is.

This is an invaluable book, especially for writers, designers and hardware store-goers who need to know what a thing is actually/properly called (lest they resort to constructions like "the wizbo," "the whatchamacallit," and "the whosis".) Look up a word in the index, then turn to a photo or diagram that illustrates it, with all of its component parts identified by name. Everything from a 747's cockpit to 20 kinds of windows (including those on a slot-machine) are among the thousands of listings. That the book doesn't get five stars is owing only to the fact that the index uses a type which is too small for old eyes.

What's What: A Visual Glossary of the Physical World is not a book one ordinarily sits down and reads, it serves more as an invaluable visual and literary resource reference.
More than just a catalog of names of everyday items, What's What can help just about anyone sound like an expert whether they're writing or speaking about a given item.
It would seem that the world is full of nearly inexhaustible items to be dissected and named from the most simplistic to the highly technical. Considering that the most recent edition of this book dates to 1994, it is fairly concise.
Granted, you won't find "every" item under the sun, but authors by Reginald Bragonier Jr. and David Fisher should be commended for compiling all that they have. Remember, even Webster didn't get all the words in the lexicon on his first or second try.
A valuable resource and a fun book to browse through once in a while.

This book is very useful for people who need to or want to know the exact word for a part of something -- a part of the sky, a part of a fishing reel, a part of a hearth, a part of a sink. You look the word up in the index, then turn to the appropriate page, and you'll see a diagram of the whole, with the parts labeled. For example, looking at the word "carpet," I find an illustration that labels the wall, the baseboard, the floor, the carpet padding, the steel pin, the carpet backing, the carpet pile, and the tackless strip. Anybody who is searching for the right word for a part of a larger "thing" can benefit from this book. Besides, it's just fun to flip through the visuals and see what's depicted, labeled, and explained.

An important reference. And a lot of fun. A perfect book to take along for a defecation. You never know how long the interection will be, and there's always something interesting.

This picture dictionary features large and clearly labeled illustrations ranging far beyond the usual scope of picture dictionaries. Useful for ESOL collections for students from middle elementary through adult and university level.

The seller did not mention this book had a library stamp inside, I ourchased for a gift and was disappointed.