How Things Work: The Inner Life of Everyday Machines

by Theodore Gray, Nick Mann (Photographs)

"Another masterpiece" (BoingBoing), by Theodore Gray,  How Things Work  explores the inner workings of machines, big and small, revealing the extraordinary science, beauty, and rich history of everyday things.  

Theodore Gray has become a household name among fans, both young and old, of popular science and mechanics with his bestselling trilogy of The Elements , Molecules , and Reactions . In How Things Work , he explores the mechanical underpinnings of dozens of types of machines, from the cotton gin to the wristwatch to an industrial loom, and shares his deep, firsthand appreciation and knowledge of the world’s most essential mechanical systems. Filled with stunning original photographs by Nick Mann, How Things Work is a must‑have exploration of stuff—large and small—for any builder, maker or lover of mechanical things.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Engineering, Technology, Design, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2022

About the author

Theodore Gray is the author of 'The Elements' and 'Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home-But Probably Shouldn't', and of Popular Science magazine's 'Gray Matter' column. He is the proprietor of periodictable.com and the creator of the iconic photographic periodic table poster seen in universities, schools, museums, and on TV shows from 'MythBusters' to 'Hannah Montana'. In his other life, he is co-founder of the software company Wolfram Research, creators of the world's leading technical software system, Mathematica®, and WolframlAlphaTM. He lives in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

From periodictable.com

Reviews

[Thomas Ray]

Pictures of locks, clocks, scales, and looms.

[Steve]

Fun coffee table book if you like mechanical stuff. Def -not- encyclopedic - it covers a few groups of mechanical items that the author is interested in, but it covers them very well. Locks, clocks, scales, and machines used for textiles.

[Katra]

So that's how my featherweight does that. Both brainy and charming. I need to read more by this guy.

[Tim Robinson]

A coffee table book with really readable text, and significant and interesting detail.

[Johanna]

I am a dunce when it comes to math and science. Simple concepts (gear ratios) leave me completely flummoxed. That said, this book - likely aimed towards high schoolers - was only occasionally out of my depth. I found it fascinating from beginning to end and kept sending photos to pals saying, “Wow! Look at this!!!”l

It discusses a limited number of items but in such depth that I felt sated at the end of each chapter. It starts out with clear things, everyday items with clear acrylic cases instead of opaque plastic. Telephones (the old kind), TVs (both old and new), hair dryers, shavers, all kinds of things. What I found most compelling wasn’t the innards of the products but that there’s an entire manufacturing side that caters to prisons, the idea being that you can’t hide a shank in something if the wardens can see it in plain sight.

Scales, clocks, locks, and cloth - items that we’ve had for millennia - are far more intriguing than I’d ever considered. Magnetic hourglasses, sewing machines, bank vaults, truck scales - just wow.

Highly recommended for anyone even remotely geeky (which I’m not - see math / science comment above) or who loves looking inside stuff. Really, really cool book.

[Jessica]

Overall, this was an ok book. It definitely had some interesting tidbits, but seemed very wordy in its explanations. The photos were really great; however, rather than just seeing static images and many words try to describe how these machines worked, I would benefit more from seeing the machines in person or in a video with someone explaining the mechanisms. It also baffles me how much this guy has in terms of stuff. I loved the chemistry themed books, but this guy must have a lot of storage space to keep all this stuff secure.

[Rayfes Mondal]

Nice pictures and I enjoyed the history of some of the machines shown. Particularly about clock making but not just mechanical devices to keep time but atomic clocks and quartz crystal ones as well. I am not as handy as the author but can share in his joy of creating things.

[David]

Absolutely loved it. Not only picked up plenty of interesting facts and a better understanding of many "things", this also tells Gray's most personal story yet. Absolutely unique book. Beautiful pictures, explanations, and fascinating details. Clearly a labor of love by a kindred spirit.

[Caitlin]

What a wonderful book. It really breaks every day inventions and tools down in an understandable way.

[Zehri]

Read

[Kevin Demel]

An interesting book about various machines and how they work.

[Julia]

Fantastic! My son loves every book by Theodore Gray.

[Nadvornix]

Nice obsessive collection.