How Things Work: The Inner Life of Everyday Machines

(Hardback)

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Description

Million-copy bestselling author of THE ELEMENTS, MOLECULES, and REACTIONS Theodore Gray applies his trademark mix of engaging stories, real-time experiments, and stunning photography to the inner workings of machines, big and small, revealing the extraordinary science, beauty, and rich history of everyday things.

Theodore Gray has become a household name among fans, both young and old, of popular science and mechanics. He's an incorrigible tinkerer with a constant curiosity for how things work. Gray's readers love how he always brings the perfect combination of know-how, humour and daring-do to every project or demonstration, be it scientific or mechanical.

In HOW THINGS WORK he explores the mechanical underpinnings of dozens of types of machines and mechanisms, from the cotton gin to the wristwatch to an industrial loom. Filled with stunning original photographs in Gray's inimitable style, HOW THINGS WORK is a must-have exploration of stuff - large and small - for any builder, maker or lover of mechanical things.

Reviews

"A stunning coffee-table book with detailed photos. [Author] Theodore Gray explores how everyday things work in great detail, going so far as to build some of them himself, and provides a new perspective on these objects that most of us would never have unless we knew them intimately...What Gray did in his previous books about elements, molecules, and reactions, he has now done for the mechanical systems that run our world, and the result is a beautiful appreciation for systems we all often overlook."--Ars Technica
"Another masterpiece."--Boing-Boing

Author Bio

Theodore Gray is the author of The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe; Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home, But Probably Shouldn't; Mad Science 2: Experiments You Can Do At Home, But Still Probably Shouldn't; and Popular Science magazine's 'Gray Matter' column. With his company Touch Press, Gray is the developer of best-selling iPad and iPhone apps, including The Elements, Solar System, Disney Animated, The Orchestra, The Waste Land, and Skulls by Simon Winchester. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.Theodore Gray is the author of the bestselling book The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe and Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home, But Probably Shouldn't. He is the author of Popular Science magazine's monthly column, 'Gray Matter' and the proprietor of periodictable.com. He is also cofounder of Touch Press, an ebook company that is defining the future of publishing, and the cofounder of Wolfram Research, creators of the world's leading technical software system, Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha . He lives in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.