How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers

by Andrew Terranova

For anyone curious about the nuts and bolts of human ingenuity, How Things Are Made is a fascinating exploration of the process behind the manufacture of everyday items. What are bulletproof vests made of? How do manufacturers get lipstick into the tube? How many layers are there in an iPhone screen? The answers to these questions and so much more fascinating information can be found in How Things Are Made, a behind-the-scenes look at the production everyday objects of all kinds, from guitars, sunscreen, and seismographs to running shoes, jet engines, and chocolate. Thoroughly revised and redesigned from the best-selling 1995 edition, How Things Are Made also contains three new entries by author Andrew Terranova. However, each page still contains informative step-by-step text along with detailed but easy-to-follow illustrations, diagrams, and sidebars to tell the stories behind the things we sometimes take for granted. For example, did you know that Edison didn't really invent the light bulb? Or that the first bar code was on a pack of Wrigley's Spearmint gum? Or that a maple seed inspired the design for the helicopter? Discover these fascinating anecdotes and much more in How Things Are Made.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2018

Reviews

[Robert Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have three daughters (6, 13, 18). The 18-year-old wants to be an engineer. The 13-year-old wants to be an artist. We have really enjoyed reading and studying this book. Each chapter focuses on an object in our everyday lives. It's all too easy for young people (and old people) to just assume everything magically appears through 1-click, without thinking about the thought and labor that goes into designing and making the objects in our lives. This book really opens up the mind to the idea that all these everyday objects come from someplace, someone thought them up, someone designed them, someone made them, and someone continues to improve them. My girls and I love the lipstick, nail polish, and smartphone sections, things that they could easily take for granted. We also really enjoyed the automobile, cruise ship, and smoke detector chapters. The most important aspect of this book is to open up the mind to the world of design and thinking. I also like how the book is so easy to read and easy to understand. It's very clearly and precisely written, and includes plenty of diagrams and sketches. Highly recommended.