Engineering: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Natasha McCarthy

Discover the human side to the discipline that is profoundly more than nuts and bolts

Focusing on the impact of engineering on society and the world, McCarthy details the development of the discipline, explains what makes an engineering mind, and shows how every aspect of our lives has been from gadgets to our national infrastructure. Long considered tinkerers, problem solvers, and visionaries, engineers hold the keys to our real and virtual future.

Genres: Engineering, Nonfiction, Science

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave it a long thought what rating to give.
This book was educational for me in some aspects like making me think about actual possibilities of sustainable future development rather then just repeating me the fact that global warming exists. It explained in some details more precisely what all areas of engineering are about.
However, much of the book was sometimes repetitive and since I already knew quite a bit on the subject, it took me ssoooooo long to go through certain stages of the book.
Would definitely recommend to people thinking about studying/working in engineering but who do not really know much about it and its different aspects and specialities.
Educational but can be skipped as a read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book alongside a course in an introduction to engineering. I liked this book as it tried to make the reader think about engineering and what it means to the world. It is interesting how much we can take for granted, without considering how much work has gone into things by the engineers of the world.

[~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[you · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as it was on the Cambridge reading list. I had difficulty deciding whether to give it 3 or 4 stars because to me, this book was a solid 3.5 stars.

Things I liked:
- Really liked first few chapters and learnt a lot, especially Chapter 2 which introduced me to the various engineering disciplines
- Call to action in the last chapter so that the reader has something to take away
- Use of examples of engineering feats; this serves as a good starting point to dig deeper into the subject
- Easy to read and digest even for newbies

Things I didn’t really like:
- Lacked the “wow” factor. I felt I could learn just as much from any other “Introduction to Engineering” book.
- Some chapters were confusing and I failed to see the links between different paragraphs.
- A lot of fluff and repetition. To me, it’s a good thing as it helps to emphasise the key aspects of engineering. However, this book could be shortened if the writer cut down on the repeated ideas.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good guide to where the discipline of engineering is heading in the future.

[Javier H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen libro lleno de anécdotas sobre la ingeniería. Explica un poco a los no iniciados en la ingeniería para que sirve, como ha evolucionado etc.

El libro está bien escrito y cuenta las cosas de forma amena. Quizas está demasiado centrado en Estados Unidos y Reino Unido pero aun así los ejemplos son bastante representativos.

Aunque el libro está en inglés se deja leer sin problemas. No lo he podido encontrar en español por ninguna parte y lo agradecería porque aunque ya lo he leido me gusta como para recomendarlo y en otros idiomas es más difícil.

La única crítica desde mi punto de vista es que se queda un poco en eso en un libro de anécdotas y no profundiza demasiado en ningún tema, tal vez se deba a lo corto que es pero deja con ganas de más detalles.

[Brian Lindawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok primer on the field of engineering. Mildly helpful for me as I look to move into that field more.