Pocket Ref (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

All the reference information anyone needs on virtually any subject is right at the fingertips in this handy pocket-sized guide. Its tables, charts, drawings, lists, and formulas will be especially useful for contractors, students, travelers, electronics hobbyists, craftspeople, and engineers and technicians in virtually every field.

Product Details

• Paperback: 542 pages
• Publisher: Sequoia; 2nd edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885071000
• ISBN-13: 978-1885071002
• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,045 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glover has piled tons of information into one excellent book, October 18, 2002

By	Big Daniel McFoot (NEW JERSEY) - See all my reviews

Pocket Ref is one sweet book. It is part encyclopedia, part trivia tome, part entertainment and part dispute-solver. Buried in the various tables and charts are tons of data and facts to aid the rider, roadside mechanic or budding MacGyver.

Let's say you are riding in Colorado, and want to know how much to re-jet. You simply go to the chapter on air & gases (p. 13) and learn that air pressure @ 10,000 ft is approx. 70% of mean standard air pressure.

Lose your owner's manual? In Chapter 2 (p. 25) you can find a torque level to safely reinstall 12mm spark plugs in an aluminum head (18-22 ft-lbs.) Settle that tavern bet over the codes on your tire sidewalls (p. 31)

Wondering how thick the wire should be to run your new electric vest? Look in Chapter 6.

What do you suppose the weather is like in Maine in September? Will you need warm weather gear? (p. 162)

This book has everything. Wind Chill tables, Heat Index data, an entire chapter that cross-references SAE, Metric and even Whitworth hardware. Listings of those formulas you've forgotten from High School.

Several Chapters apply to the off-season mechanic or machinist. Drill sizing; counter-sinking; metal properties & hardness; welding data and taps and dies. Granted there are more complete machining books, but if you are at the store and are blanking on a spec, the Pocket Ref may save you a return trip.

Oh sure, you can get most of this information off of the internet. But out in Hooterville at O-dark-thirty, you may be able to find your answer before your alpha-geek friend has even accessed the 'net.

Author Thomas Glover has compiled tons of data onto 544 pages into this little, 5 1/4" X 3 1/4" book. Tankbag?!? Hell - this thing fits into your jacket! Available from better hardware stores, booksellers or the publisher.

Verdict:
Casual Reader--You could live without this, but why would you want to?

Gear Head--Serious "geek-credit" earned when you deploy this little gem.

Serious Ride--Has scores of uses directly applicable to motorcycling. A no-brainer.

BIG DAN's OVERALL RATING: 9.2/10

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, wow...I forgot THAT was referenced in this book!, March 9, 2001

By	"ileandra" (Lake Charles, LA USA) - See all my reviews

The biggest problem I've had with this book is getting people to return it to my office after they've borrowed it. It has so much useful information including every unit conversion imaginable; bolt, screw, nail, pipe, wire, etc... specifications; mathematical constants; chemical element properties......and that's just scratching the surface of what this book contains. But even with over 500 pages of reference info, it's still small and portable. It measures 3-3/4" x 5-1/2" x 3/4", so it'll fit in a pocket, briefcase, or drawer. If you're looking for a good all-around reference, this is definately a good buy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most indispensable reference book you'll ever own., September 2, 1998

By A Customer

If I were to be stranded on a desert island for the rest of my life, I'd want to have this book with me. Among the things it lists are the strengths of different types of rope, electrical wiring data of all kinds, information about the planets, time zones and ZIP codes, formulas for calculating the volume and surface areas of any shape, and mineral data of all kinds. A must have for pack rats, engineers of all kinds, any sort of technical person and anyone who wants to have virtually any sort of technical and general knowledge at his fingertips.