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Secrets #1
The Secret House: 24 Hours in the Strange and Unexpected World in Which We Spend Our Nights and Days
Vividly describes the invisible physical and biological events in a house that are a part of everyday life, such as the eggs quietly breathing in the refrigerator and the electrical force fields curling out of the wall sockets
223 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 1986
8 people are currently reading
586 people want to read
About the author
David Bodanis
19 books153 followersDavid Bodanis' latest book THE ART OF FAIRNESS: THE POWER OF DECENCY IN A WORLD TURNED MEAN was published November 2020 and asks the question that has long fascinated David: Can you succeed without being a terrible person? The answer is 'Yes, but you need skill', and the book shows how. I demonstrate those insights through a series of biographies…
David Bodanis is the bestselling author of THE SECRET HOUSE and E=MC2, which was turned into a PBS documentary and a Southbank Award-winning ballet at Sadler's Wells. David also wrote ELECTRIC UNIVERSE, which won the Royal Society Science Book of the Year Prize, and PASSIONATE MINDS, a BBC Book of the Week. Then a return to Einstein and the struggles he went through with EINSTEIN'S GREATEST MISTAKE which was named ‘Science Book of the Year’ by the Sunday Times, and also widely translated.
David has worked for the Royal Dutch Shell Scenario Prediction unit and the World Economic Forum. He has been a popular speaker at TED conferences and at Davos. His work has been published in the Financial Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times, and has appeared on Newsnight, Start the Week, and other programs. When not slumped in front of a laptop, he has been known to attempt kickboxing, with highly variable results.
David Bodanis is the bestselling author of THE SECRET HOUSE and E=MC2, which was turned into a PBS documentary and a Southbank Award-winning ballet at Sadler's Wells. David also wrote ELECTRIC UNIVERSE, which won the Royal Society Science Book of the Year Prize, and PASSIONATE MINDS, a BBC Book of the Week. Then a return to Einstein and the struggles he went through with EINSTEIN'S GREATEST MISTAKE which was named ‘Science Book of the Year’ by the Sunday Times, and also widely translated.
David has worked for the Royal Dutch Shell Scenario Prediction unit and the World Economic Forum. He has been a popular speaker at TED conferences and at Davos. His work has been published in the Financial Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times, and has appeared on Newsnight, Start the Week, and other programs. When not slumped in front of a laptop, he has been known to attempt kickboxing, with highly variable results.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 11, 2012
I got this book from the library when I was about ten and must have borrowed it half a dozen times in the following few years. I loved it so much. I would read chunks of it to my stepmother to freak her out, and describe in great detail to my friends the bits about dust mites crawling all over everything, fungus all over the walls of the house and all the crap that blows back at you whenever you use the vacuum cleaner, among other things. I wasn't really disturbed by any of this stuff, mind you, I just found it totally fascinating. I certainly did obsessively remember to close the toilet lid before flushing after reading this, though, and I may have changed a few other habits, too. I found the stuff describing how various household products were made to be surprising and very illuminating. It was probably in part this book that cemented the idea in my head that human beings can find a way to use almost anything in nature, especially things that were once alive, to suit our needs. The author's scheme of depicting the life of a family and household in the span of a single day, taking everything more or less in realtime, is engenious. I don't know how available or widely read this book might be today, but I definitely think it's something young people in particular ought to pick up, especially if they have a budding interest in microbiology, chemistry and manufacturing practices.
April 14, 2021
Genial. Como todos los libros de David Bodanis.
Explica todos los detalles de cada proceso que puede darse en una casa, desde la limpieza, los animales microscópicos, los sonidos con los que hablamos, los rayos de lluvia o las bajas presiones del tiempo atmosférico, la pasta de dientes, etc.
Cómo chocan los átomos, qué tamaño tienen, cómo se comportan los microbios, cómo es la grasa de la leche o cuáles son los auténticos componentes de un pastel (la verdad, me pensaré muy mucho si comer otro). Todo explicado con un lenguaje sencillísimo, clarísimo y que hace que uno quiera saber más detalles.
Es un auténtico libro de divulgación científica, que enseña cosas, muy informativo.
Recomendado para todos los públicos y de cualquier nivel de estudios.
Explica todos los detalles de cada proceso que puede darse en una casa, desde la limpieza, los animales microscópicos, los sonidos con los que hablamos, los rayos de lluvia o las bajas presiones del tiempo atmosférico, la pasta de dientes, etc.
Cómo chocan los átomos, qué tamaño tienen, cómo se comportan los microbios, cómo es la grasa de la leche o cuáles son los auténticos componentes de un pastel (la verdad, me pensaré muy mucho si comer otro). Todo explicado con un lenguaje sencillísimo, clarísimo y que hace que uno quiera saber más detalles.
Es un auténtico libro de divulgación científica, que enseña cosas, muy informativo.
Recomendado para todos los públicos y de cualquier nivel de estudios.
December 25, 2017
If you start reading this lying in a bed, after a few pages into the book, I'm sure most of you would rethink that decision and a few might even leap out of it swearing never to return to the bed. As these people progress further into the book, they'll realize there's virtually no untouched space in their house. There's a high chance that one might become paranoid if they took this book too seriously. It's a horror book for those with OCD. It was meant to be informative (it was, to a great degree) and satisfy the scientific curiosity of a layman by discussing the (gross but enticing) details behind the everyday occurrences. It was every bit exciting for me, a beginner in research, with all its microscopic, SEM, thermal images throwing light on the dark worlds that thrive right under our very noses. All these facts, which may seem irrelevant to each other at first glance, were tied to a single string of a fine plot executed through an excellent narrative. There's the bonus of a few interesting historic accounts too.
I'm never going to eat meat or readymade cakes after reading this book. I would definitely suggest it to everyone who is curious about what is going on at a microscopic level in our houses every day.
I'm never going to eat meat or readymade cakes after reading this book. I would definitely suggest it to everyone who is curious about what is going on at a microscopic level in our houses every day.
July 11, 2007
Pretty much anytime I vacuum a rug, I picture 100s of dust mites between the fibers. They are sitting with there mouths open, hoping one of my skin cells will fall in. Maybe they are frightened when the wind starts to pull them upward? But once they hit the vacuum bag, they can feast for months.
That's pretty much what this book is about. It describes all the invisible things going on around you every day.
That's pretty much what this book is about. It describes all the invisible things going on around you every day.
August 2, 2011
Don't read this book if you have OCD. And even if you're borderline, don't! This book will likely be the one that will drive you over the edge. This book is jampacked with lots of interesting info, both vital and trivial. That said, I skipped quite a few pages. But I am, most definitely, more germ-conscious now. It will change the way you live at least by a bit, and there's nothing wrong with that. Not when you have read the book and know what I know now.
October 26, 2007
Don't read this if you ever want to breathe air and not know what microbes are in it, cook food and remain blissfully ignorant of what particles fall into it, or wash your hair without being concerned about the electrical consequences... among other things. I will say one thing though: Yay for soap! :)
August 4, 2021
Not too many books take 30 years to get through, not even the ten-volume Lincoln biography I took on some years ago, but this is one book that did. I must have gotten it soon after this edition came out in 1988, and have ||: picked it up and put it down :|| more times than I can remember. This time I was determined to finish it, and have.
My main motivation was to better see the world and its seemingly mundane happenings from a wholly different perspective, that is, a micro one. In this, the book is very successful. It introduces the reader to all kinds of science to describe and explain what happens daily in an average Westerner's life, from walking across a wooden floor, to drinking coffee, to putting on and removing makeup, and finally the mattress bounces that welcome us into bed at night. Because of this it is quite dense in parts, though I don't know if that's the main reason why it took me so long to finish it, since I've read many a dense academic tome in my day and it took nowhere near this long. But in any case, I'm glad I did finally finish it.
One star taken off for 1. the sometimes goofy prose, which even took a turn for the grisly when discussing what you could do to get rid of tiresome houseguests – some times the humor succeeded better than others; but more importantly 2. English does not have 5 1/2 vowels (p. 145), American English has 13 or 14, depending on your dialect, and standard British English has more if you count in all the diphthongs. When I see a writer relying on lifelong stereotyped assumptions instead of checking *everything*, regardless of how sure you think you are of something, I start to wonder what other gross inaccuracies slipped through.
Still, it's a book that makes me see and experience the world in a different, more mindful way, and for that I think it is definitely worth reading. Just resist the temptation to put it down in favor of some other shiny volume that crosses your path, if you can, so it doesn't follow you all the way into retirement.
My main motivation was to better see the world and its seemingly mundane happenings from a wholly different perspective, that is, a micro one. In this, the book is very successful. It introduces the reader to all kinds of science to describe and explain what happens daily in an average Westerner's life, from walking across a wooden floor, to drinking coffee, to putting on and removing makeup, and finally the mattress bounces that welcome us into bed at night. Because of this it is quite dense in parts, though I don't know if that's the main reason why it took me so long to finish it, since I've read many a dense academic tome in my day and it took nowhere near this long. But in any case, I'm glad I did finally finish it.
One star taken off for 1. the sometimes goofy prose, which even took a turn for the grisly when discussing what you could do to get rid of tiresome houseguests – some times the humor succeeded better than others; but more importantly 2. English does not have 5 1/2 vowels (p. 145), American English has 13 or 14, depending on your dialect, and standard British English has more if you count in all the diphthongs. When I see a writer relying on lifelong stereotyped assumptions instead of checking *everything*, regardless of how sure you think you are of something, I start to wonder what other gross inaccuracies slipped through.
Still, it's a book that makes me see and experience the world in a different, more mindful way, and for that I think it is definitely worth reading. Just resist the temptation to put it down in favor of some other shiny volume that crosses your path, if you can, so it doesn't follow you all the way into retirement.
February 20, 2019
¡Que libro más fantástico!
Lo conocía y había leído ligeramente desde mi adolescencia pero solo ahora que lo descubrí en mi madurez, lo disfruté como ninguno.
Un libro de ciencia dura, física, química, biología, sobre lo cotidiano. Me imagino que al autor le tomo un par de años recopilar la cantidad ingente de datos “microscopicos” (literalmente) sobre la vida cotidiana que llenan sus páginas.
Especialmente notables y de recordación para mi fue conocer la composición increíble de la pasta dental, que usamos inadvertidamente casi como si fuera una golosina; los productos de belleza femeninos, que no tienen nada de bellos en su constitución elemental y origen, la masa para torras cuyos peores constituyentes se aplacan con el intenso sabor del chocolate.
Fantástico descubrir a través de sus páginas de una prosa entretenida y al mismo tiempo rigurosa, los secretos que se esconden en la cara de cualquier comensal, la física de una descarga eléctrica atmosférica, el rol de la electricidad en el sudor de las axilas y de su nemesis, el desodorante o el secreto del azul de los Jeans.
Una lectura obligada para cualquier aficionado a la ciencia.
Lo conocía y había leído ligeramente desde mi adolescencia pero solo ahora que lo descubrí en mi madurez, lo disfruté como ninguno.
Un libro de ciencia dura, física, química, biología, sobre lo cotidiano. Me imagino que al autor le tomo un par de años recopilar la cantidad ingente de datos “microscopicos” (literalmente) sobre la vida cotidiana que llenan sus páginas.
Especialmente notables y de recordación para mi fue conocer la composición increíble de la pasta dental, que usamos inadvertidamente casi como si fuera una golosina; los productos de belleza femeninos, que no tienen nada de bellos en su constitución elemental y origen, la masa para torras cuyos peores constituyentes se aplacan con el intenso sabor del chocolate.
Fantástico descubrir a través de sus páginas de una prosa entretenida y al mismo tiempo rigurosa, los secretos que se esconden en la cara de cualquier comensal, la física de una descarga eléctrica atmosférica, el rol de la electricidad en el sudor de las axilas y de su nemesis, el desodorante o el secreto del azul de los Jeans.
Una lectura obligada para cualquier aficionado a la ciencia.
August 5, 2017
This book is AMAZING - and NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, I might add. Seriously, if thoughts of dust mites, skeletal remains of creatures that live with us and on us drives you screaming into the night, then do NOT read this book. But I kind of look at it this way, they are there for a reason. And this book is fascinating!
And the photography is unbelievable as well! I seriously enjoyed this book. I mean, who knew that coffee literally moved because of the sound waves of our voices?!?!? See what I mean? AMAZING! I was glad that I was just browsing the day I found this book in the stacks of my local library. So, thank you, David Bodanis for this terrific book!
And the photography is unbelievable as well! I seriously enjoyed this book. I mean, who knew that coffee literally moved because of the sound waves of our voices?!?!? See what I mean? AMAZING! I was glad that I was just browsing the day I found this book in the stacks of my local library. So, thank you, David Bodanis for this terrific book!
March 6, 2011
Probably a bad idea to read this if you have any Howard Hughes-like tendencies, given the detail of what goes on out of sight on the average human body and in our homes. However, lots of great factoids and deep detail on how all kinds of things in our houses work, from toothpaste to clothing to cooking and vacuum cleaners.
January 3, 2013
Gran libro que aprovechando un tema tan aburrido como una casa (la estructura de una casa y sus habitantes) nos da mil lecciones de ciencia, empezando por la formación y composición de las pelusas, siguiendo por la resistencia de materiales y su comportamiento térmico... un montón de cosas muy interesantes y bien contadas. Libro muy recomendable.
August 31, 2009
I read part of this book as a kid and loved it. I decided it was time to revisit it. I skimmed parts I wasn't that interested in. It's a microscopic look at the everyday. I don't recommend it for the squeamish!
November 18, 2017
A description of all the micro- actions that happen inside the typical house in the course of a day: micro-chemical reactions in food, cosmetics, building materials, micro-biological actions in clothing, even the air, micro-mechanical reactions in the building, etc.
January 10, 2019
Read this book twice now and I love the narrative that is woven with science and some history. Not for the super squeamish but fascinating. Great way to look at the world and a great and entertaining science read. Great for anyone interested in science.
September 22, 2008
Ever wonder what's happening in your house on an an average day, on a microscopic level? Read this book to find out. Prepare to be horrified.
March 14, 2009
Use a clean dishcloth :-)
Read
January 5, 2011Picked this up at the local resale shop...so far, utterly fascinating. Can't read it in huge gobs, but enjoying it in small doses.
June 13, 2011
A fascinating look at the microscopic (and sub-microscopic) world underlying your everyday life, as well as some unpleasant insights into industrial food preparation. Yikes!
February 9, 2015
After reading this, I realized the amount of microscopic detail that we ignore in our everyday life is just overwhelming..
June 18, 2017
Super interesting, but if you have any phobias or get squeamish easily you might want to skip this one. Sometimes ignorance is bliss!
March 15, 2019
Quite dated in many of the references, but still terrifying, amusing and fascinating
January 8, 2021
Fascinating! I especially enjoyed the discussion on oxygen molecules --- their fate and transport over millennia.
May 25, 2021
I read this book several years ago, and it was fascinating! David Bodanis describes seemingly mundane topics and explains what’s really happening that we can’t see and probably don’t know.
November 22, 2021
Muy interesante libro que revela el detrás de escena de un día común y corriente. Historia, física y química ayudan a explicar lo que sucede en una casa: desde las millones de criaturas que comparten nuestra cama hasta el origen del jabón o el porqué los libros se ponen amarillos con el tiempo o porqué los jeans son azules.
En muchas ocasiones el autor busca el efectismo, y eso le quita un poco de precisión a lo que narra (por ejemplo, al decir que los muebles "saltan" al caminar alguien cerca). Tampoco sabemos si los procesos industriales descriptos, como el de la fabricación de la pasta dental o el de las papas fritas
(el libro fue escrito en los 80s) siguen siendo utilizados en el presente. No obstante es algo que yo consumí en esa década, y no deja de causar impresión.
En muchas ocasiones el autor busca el efectismo, y eso le quita un poco de precisión a lo que narra (por ejemplo, al decir que los muebles "saltan" al caminar alguien cerca). Tampoco sabemos si los procesos industriales descriptos, como el de la fabricación de la pasta dental o el de las papas fritas
(el libro fue escrito en los 80s) siguen siendo utilizados en el presente. No obstante es algo que yo consumí en esa década, y no deja de causar impresión.
June 8, 2022
Ensayo científico divulgativo de 196 páginas, publicado en 1986 en el que el autor, tomando como referencia la vida cotidiana de un día en un hogar cualquiera, nos introduce en los minúsculos misterios que nos rodean, su explicación científica y, en ocasiones, su origen histórico.
Me ha gustado mucho descubrir mil detalles invisibles a los que no solemos dar importancia y disfrutar de nuevas perspectivas que realmente desconocía acerca de la vida de microorganismos y diminutos insectos con los que convivimos, y las características de la materia e inventos científicos que estamos acostumbrados a ver, pero de los que desconocemos su interesantísimo origen. En resumen, una lectura muy recomendada.
Me ha gustado mucho descubrir mil detalles invisibles a los que no solemos dar importancia y disfrutar de nuevas perspectivas que realmente desconocía acerca de la vida de microorganismos y diminutos insectos con los que convivimos, y las características de la materia e inventos científicos que estamos acostumbrados a ver, pero de los que desconocemos su interesantísimo origen. En resumen, una lectura muy recomendada.
June 21, 2021
Enjoyed the content of this book, but not the presentation.
February 13, 2023
The age of this book shows in some of the language. Still, much good information was shared in an interesting way.
Want to read
July 29, 2023Own, available at house 2023
February 11, 2025
A classic that makes you think about the complexity of reality.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews