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Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections
Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections
The original and still the best, the IRA Children's Choice Book Incredible Cross-Sections is available again--now at a lower price! Spread after spread of amazing, original cross-section drawings take readers inside 18 of the world's most fascinating structures--from the Empire State Building to the Hale Observatory. And two of the remarkable illustrations--the Queen Mary and the Flying Scotsman
steam train--fold out to a length of nearly three feet!
steam train--fold out to a length of nearly three feet!
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
20 people are currently reading
633 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Biesty
60 books65 followersStephen Biesty is the creator of Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide since its publication in 1992. He lives in Somerset, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 24, 2011
The beautiful, lavishly illustrated cross-sections in this book are spellbinding. They reawakened my childlike sense of wonderment & fascination with things BIG. Ocean liners, jumbo jets, earthmovers, castles, cathedrals... the ocean liner is a four page fold out! It is a glorious thing to behold.
The section on off-shore oil rigs is quite eerie to read, in light of Deepwater Horizon. Everybody knows what a blowout preventer is now.
The section on Empire State Building is likewise somewhat morbid given Sept. 11. (there's a whole book on the topic-- Why Buildings Fall Down)
This book is a perfect example of why physical books still matter. You can't read this on your Kindle! I mean maybe you could but what would be the point?-There's no ebook version of a full color tabloid sized 4 page foldout, at least not that I'm aware of
The section on off-shore oil rigs is quite eerie to read, in light of Deepwater Horizon. Everybody knows what a blowout preventer is now.
The section on Empire State Building is likewise somewhat morbid given Sept. 11. (there's a whole book on the topic-- Why Buildings Fall Down)
This book is a perfect example of why physical books still matter. You can't read this on your Kindle! I mean maybe you could but what would be the point?-There's no ebook version of a full color tabloid sized 4 page foldout, at least not that I'm aware of
April 18, 2008
Stephen Biesty is a very special author, but not quite the equal of David Macaulay.
If you actually know who I'm talking about then you are some kind of schematical book nerd...
If you actually know who I'm talking about then you are some kind of schematical book nerd...
January 19, 2023
Readers of all ages will spend hours lost in enchantment perusing these detailed cutaway images of the insides of a castle, observatory, galleon ship, ocean liner, submarine, coal mine, tank, oil rig, cathedral, jumbo jet, car factory, helicopter, opera house, steam train, subway station, fishing trawler, the Empire State Building, and a space shuttle.
Illustrator Stephen Biesty, along with writer Richard Platt, have created a number of such books featuring historical and architectural cross-section drawings, some of which fill colorful oversize double spreads (such as, in this book, the ocean liner and the steam train). The pictures are surrounded by captions that explain both what you are seeing and what you are not seeing.
For example, in the cutaway of a 16th century Spanish galleon, you see and learn briefly about the parts of the galleon, such as swivel guns, the helm, and even poisonous scorpions in the hold. But you also learn about what you can’t actually see, such as: “A terrible smell: Sea water that seeped into the ship collected in the bilge - the space between the old and the keel - and turned into a foul brew. This pump [pointed to in the drawing] cleared the bilges, but the smell of the water was disgusting.”
Similarly, in the cross-section of a World War II German submarine, you see a picture of hanging meat, and you read, “The wurst of it: Because of the lack of space, smoked meat, bread, and other supplies were stored anywhere there was room - in the crew’s quarters, or even in the toilet!”
Each intricate drawing contains a wealth of historical information both from the images and the text on the buildings, machines, and people who used them, along with “key facts,” anecdotes, and minutia that people often wonder about but aren’t often part of the usual descriptions, such as: What did people eat? How did they go to the bathroom? What was daily life like?
Evaluation: This entrancing book will keep you busy for hours, and send you searching for Biesty’s other cutaway books. There is even one on the Star Wars vehicles, and one with pop-up cross-sections. You will want to see them all!
Illustrator Stephen Biesty, along with writer Richard Platt, have created a number of such books featuring historical and architectural cross-section drawings, some of which fill colorful oversize double spreads (such as, in this book, the ocean liner and the steam train). The pictures are surrounded by captions that explain both what you are seeing and what you are not seeing.
For example, in the cutaway of a 16th century Spanish galleon, you see and learn briefly about the parts of the galleon, such as swivel guns, the helm, and even poisonous scorpions in the hold. But you also learn about what you can’t actually see, such as: “A terrible smell: Sea water that seeped into the ship collected in the bilge - the space between the old and the keel - and turned into a foul brew. This pump [pointed to in the drawing] cleared the bilges, but the smell of the water was disgusting.”
Similarly, in the cross-section of a World War II German submarine, you see a picture of hanging meat, and you read, “The wurst of it: Because of the lack of space, smoked meat, bread, and other supplies were stored anywhere there was room - in the crew’s quarters, or even in the toilet!”
Each intricate drawing contains a wealth of historical information both from the images and the text on the buildings, machines, and people who used them, along with “key facts,” anecdotes, and minutia that people often wonder about but aren’t often part of the usual descriptions, such as: What did people eat? How did they go to the bathroom? What was daily life like?
Evaluation: This entrancing book will keep you busy for hours, and send you searching for Biesty’s other cutaway books. There is even one on the Star Wars vehicles, and one with pop-up cross-sections. You will want to see them all!
March 11, 2021
Fantastic illustrations of cross sections of 18 amazing buildings and machines. The details are amazing and endlessly interesting and are accompanied by text that is both informative and humorous. Some of the cross sections include the Queen Mary ocean liner, the Flying Scotsman steam train, an opera house and a tank.
April 25, 2019
El libro es una maravilla. Reúne toda una colección de ilustraciones a doble página acerca de distintos edificios y vehículos (un castillo medieval, una catedral, un rascacielos, un submarino alemán de la IIGM, un trasatlántico, una estación de metro...) y los secciona para mostrar su interior.
Las secciones están magníficamente bien realizadas a partir de planos de corte limpios que permiten retirar piezas y mostrar el interior de las cosas. Así, podemos ver los cimientos de una catedral, sus pasillos ocultos, los elementos que componen su estructura... Igualmente, se nos muestran los elementos del trasatlántico: sus depósitos, salas de máquinas, habitaciones (las más humildes y las más lujosas)... y así para cada una de las cosas mostradas.
Además de las secciones, el libro muestra a los personajes que trabajan en ellas: la tripulación del trasatlántico, sus pasajeros... al tiempo que explica cada cosa de forma sencilla para que comprendamos no sólo cómo es, sino cómo funciona y a quiénes y cómo sirve.
Un libro maravilloso que merece la pena tener.
Las secciones están magníficamente bien realizadas a partir de planos de corte limpios que permiten retirar piezas y mostrar el interior de las cosas. Así, podemos ver los cimientos de una catedral, sus pasillos ocultos, los elementos que componen su estructura... Igualmente, se nos muestran los elementos del trasatlántico: sus depósitos, salas de máquinas, habitaciones (las más humildes y las más lujosas)... y así para cada una de las cosas mostradas.
Además de las secciones, el libro muestra a los personajes que trabajan en ellas: la tripulación del trasatlántico, sus pasajeros... al tiempo que explica cada cosa de forma sencilla para que comprendamos no sólo cómo es, sino cómo funciona y a quiénes y cómo sirve.
Un libro maravilloso que merece la pena tener.
July 15, 2020
I was so very obsessed with this book as a kid. Oddly, one of the parts I remember most vividly was checking out what all the little people were doing. And the soldier whose intestines were hanging out in the tank cross section, of course. Biesty really knows how to appeal to kids.
I'd love to reread this as an adult.
I'd love to reread this as an adult.
June 12, 2022
I was very excited to see that this was republished
in 2019, as it was one of the key texts, 90s classics all, (along with the Usborne Book of
Castles and A Street Through Time) that inspired me to learn to read, rather late, so that I
could get the most out of these beautifully illustrated books. The illustrations are very
detailed and clear, holding the attention while you examine the text. I spent literally hours
poring over the pictures, especially the castle, the underground station, the galleon and the
cathedral. Stephen Biesty’s books are the best for drawing the eye, conveying a great deal of
information very palatably, and creating a totally absorbing experience. 7+
in 2019, as it was one of the key texts, 90s classics all, (along with the Usborne Book of
Castles and A Street Through Time) that inspired me to learn to read, rather late, so that I
could get the most out of these beautifully illustrated books. The illustrations are very
detailed and clear, holding the attention while you examine the text. I spent literally hours
poring over the pictures, especially the castle, the underground station, the galleon and the
cathedral. Stephen Biesty’s books are the best for drawing the eye, conveying a great deal of
information very palatably, and creating a totally absorbing experience. 7+
November 18, 2019
Este libro lo he tenido desde pequeño y lo habrá ojeado mil veces, pero ha sido esta la primera vez (ya de adulto y no de niño) que me he detenido a leer los textos y explicaciones. Y aunque quizás los textos se queden un poco básicos -aunque te descubren muchísimas cosas- la verdad es que es un libro impresionante, inmenso. La labor de dibujos de Stephen Biesty es increíble y te puedes quedar horas y horas (como yo me quedaba) mirando esos diseños y planos cortados siempre por la mitad. Y buscando en cada página al tío cagando, eso tampoco faltaba.
November 6, 2021
I read the original edition of this book several years ago, and very recently, I came across the 25th anniversary edition. Like the original, I enjoyed this edition. The illustrations were well-detailed (my favourites were the Boeing 747 and the two foldouts of the Queen Mary ocean liner and the Flying Scotsman train) and there were many interesting facts that I never knew. I also enjoyed the challenge of finding a man on the loo in some illustrations.
June 18, 2019
The copy I have is the 25th anniversary edition so the front cover is different. This book offers a cross-section of a number of different items including a coal mine, castle (my favourite cross-section), a space shuttle and a cathedral. Lots of details. The oceanliner runs over four pages, which shows the size of these ships.
December 26, 2017
I came across this book by chance and took it for a friend’s boy. I couldn’t resist going through it. It’s impressive. Highly amusing and educational. I have found out that there are several of these series and I hope they are famous among children because they are incredible indeed!.
March 11, 2023
I had gotten this from the library for my daughter, but ended up also reading it from cover to cover. Great illustrations and explanations of how a diverse array of machines/structures work. Fascinating from a historical perspective as well.
June 28, 2019
Amazing.
March 31, 2020
I loved it as a kid and I love the book as an adult!
April 9, 2020
A fun game for children. There are 19 people sitting on toilets pooping. Can you find them.
September 21, 2020
This was published in 1992, and some of it is a bit outdated. It is still really detailed and definitely worth studying. Great pictures and explanations.
October 30, 2020
I loved this so much I actually bought a hard copy for a nephew.
December 24, 2020
It’s like a cross between Where’s Waldo and a David Macaulay book!
January 10, 2021
was my favorite book as a kid. i'm 36 and still have it.
November 1, 2021
Amazing to see the cross sections of all these different items.
January 3, 2025
So satisfying to squint at all these and nerd out about the various structures.
January 14, 2025
Du château au paquebot, en passant une chaine de montage d'automobiles, ce livre fascinant nous offre des coupes transversales de différents lieux. Génial!
July 4, 2025
So interesting and detailed! (mine is the 25th anniversary edition, for future reference.)
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November 21, 2025Goddamn 🥵
August 11, 2016
My Grade = 90% - A
This is my second Stephen Biesty Crpss Section. The first was Man-of-War Cross-Section, which was obviously about a British Man-of-War. In it, each set of facing pages was a full cross-section drawing of some aspect of, of course, the Man-of-War. I found it truly fascinating and was very interested in finding others like it.
In this book, each set of two facing pages is on a different building or vehicle, except two: the ocean liner (Queen Mary) and the 1930's Steam Train, which have two facing pages of drawings about the Liner and Train, but then each set opens u[ to reveal a double set of four pages of more detailed drawings.
What I found most fascinating was that almost every set of drawings contained a tiny drawing of someone sitting on a toilet. The exceptions to this were a German WWII Tank (it was explained that to use the toilet they had to first exit the vehicle), a helicopter, car factory, coal mine., and Chartres Cathedral - and that last one was in such tiny detail that I probably just couldn't find it.
All the others, including Observatory, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Submarine, Oil Rig, Subway Station, Fishing Trawler, Galleon, Space Shuttle, Empire State Building, and others did.
When I brought this up with the local librarian, she explained how the kids loved to look for these,,,,,
Many of the subjects also showed where people could prepare food, eat, sleep and gather together for public entertainment. I was fascinated to learn that in some early passenger trains, there were actually cars where people could see a movie.
I bought this boon and another (Castle) on e-bay at the same time and now have that one to look forward to at a future date.
This is my second Stephen Biesty Crpss Section. The first was Man-of-War Cross-Section, which was obviously about a British Man-of-War. In it, each set of facing pages was a full cross-section drawing of some aspect of, of course, the Man-of-War. I found it truly fascinating and was very interested in finding others like it.
In this book, each set of two facing pages is on a different building or vehicle, except two: the ocean liner (Queen Mary) and the 1930's Steam Train, which have two facing pages of drawings about the Liner and Train, but then each set opens u[ to reveal a double set of four pages of more detailed drawings.
What I found most fascinating was that almost every set of drawings contained a tiny drawing of someone sitting on a toilet. The exceptions to this were a German WWII Tank (it was explained that to use the toilet they had to first exit the vehicle), a helicopter, car factory, coal mine., and Chartres Cathedral - and that last one was in such tiny detail that I probably just couldn't find it.
All the others, including Observatory, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Submarine, Oil Rig, Subway Station, Fishing Trawler, Galleon, Space Shuttle, Empire State Building, and others did.
When I brought this up with the local librarian, she explained how the kids loved to look for these,,,,,
Many of the subjects also showed where people could prepare food, eat, sleep and gather together for public entertainment. I was fascinated to learn that in some early passenger trains, there were actually cars where people could see a movie.
I bought this boon and another (Castle) on e-bay at the same time and now have that one to look forward to at a future date.
June 3, 2007
Incredible is not a misnomer. Stephen Beisty's amazing illustrations give you a fascinating look on how things work. From the inside of the tank, to the busy workings in the Opera House; from an ocean liner, to an ancient Castle. No detail (such as going to the loo) is too intimate to be left out. Accompanying the iluustrations are fun facts about each place, which are easy to read and understand, making for a great and enjoyable learning book.
June 30, 2014
Originally published in 1992, and still relevant to the curious kid in you. A good range of cross-sectioned things, with tons of side notes and explanations. My only complaint is that the pages, big as they are, are really very packed. Maybe a little too packed, and the designer in me wants an updated, clean, layout, haha. The illustrations are very 'Where's Waldo' which was a fun bit of nostalgia but might not such a treat for your (ok, my) aging eyes.
June 18, 2016
Not nearly as fascinating and re-readable as the Man O' War book, but then again, there's no gore, which is a plus or minus according to the reader taste. Much fainter memories of this book; I don't recall as many or as interesting of facts compared to Man O' War, but I'm suspicious my grade school aged self just liked the grossness of sea life hundreds of years ago.
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June 19, 2011An awesome book for kids, no matter how old you are. Aaron and I can spend hours together looking at the cross sections, especially of the ships. And yes, we do love looking for the obligatory "dude on the toilet" Biesty seems to hide in each picture.
May 23, 2012
A fascinating look inside many things including a castle, cathedral, tank, subway, Empire State Building and the Space Shuttle. There is a lot of information on each page so smaller children may need help reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews