The Way Things Work NOW

by David Macaulay

"Is it a fact--or have I dreamt it--that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?" If you, like Nathaniel Hawthorne, are kept up at night wondering about how things work--from electricity to can openers--then you and your favorite kids shouldn't be a moment longer without David Macaulay's The New Way Things Work. The award-winning author-illustrator--a former architect and junior high school teacher--is perfectly poised to be the Great Explainer of the whirrings and whizzings of the world of machines, a talent that landed the 1988 version of The Way Things Work on the New York Times bestsellers list for 50 weeks. Grouping machines together by the principles that govern their actions rather than by their uses, Macaulay helps us understand in a heavily visual, humorous, unerringly precise way what gadgets such as a toilet, a carburetor, and a fire extinguisher have in common.

The New Way Things Work boasts a richly illustrated 80-page section that wrenches us all (including the curious, bumbling wooly mammoth who ambles along with the reader) into the digital age of modems, digital cameras, compact disks, bits, and bytes. Readers can glory in gears in "The Mechanics of Movement," investigate flying in "Harnessing the Elements," demystify the sound of music in "Working with Waves," marvel at magnetism in "Electricity & Automation," and examine e-mail in "The Digital Domain." An illustrated survey of significant inventions closes the book, along with a glossary of technical terms, and an index. What possible link could there be between zippers and plows, dentist drills and windmills? Parking meters and meat grinders, jumbo jets and jackhammers, remote control and rockets, electric guitars and egg beaters? Macaulay demystifies them all. (Click to see a sample spread of this book, illustrations and text copyright 1998 David Macaulay, Neil Ardley, published by Houghton Mifflin Co.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Engineering, Childrens

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2016

About the author

David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.

Reviews

[Nathan Woll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, more of a reference book, hard to read as a novel

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Way Things Work Now by David Macaulay was interesting to read. I learned a lot about how things work and how people have taken simple principles and found interesting ways to implement them to make something cool. One really cool thing I learned was how 3D movies work. I never knew how they worked but the book explained it and had pictures to help me visualize what it was telling me. I gave this book a 4/5 stars because it was interesting and I learned a lot but it had a lot of text that seemed unnecessary. Things were over explained. I would recommend this book to people who like to learn about the world around them.

[Maurice]

I’m not sure how to rate this book… I thought this book written for kids/young adults would help me understand many of the processes that my mechanically disinclined brain fails to comprehend. It did not. The illustrations were great and the descriptions were very helpful, but I still struggled with most pages. It is definitely more of a resource to be used when needed. Also - didn’t like the mammoths.

[Cherei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want the physical version

If I was only able to take a few books with me... This would be a must have book. Explains nearly every major development of mankind in ONE place!! I think I will get this in physical format.

[Anthony Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the information that I took away from it. It is a great picture book with great color. Very bright and happy book that brought happiness to me. The science of the technology was very impressive.

[freda lockamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The WOW book

Cannot put.down will re-read this over again and again!
I'm 74 I love it leaning so much

thanks so much for put it together

[Becky Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Marika Luostarinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has great intentions, but it didnt really scratch the itch that I was hoping it would when it comes to visual guides.