Hew, Screw, and Glue: How Stuff Is Made

by James Innes-Smith, Henrietta Webb (Illustrator)

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128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, fun book. The origins of many common items -- from book to vodka -- are outlined in clear prose with delightful illustrations. I learned a lot of trivia: When is a book not a book? (When it is less than 49 pages long ← wonder who determines that??) What is arachibutyrophobia? (The fear of having peanut butter stick to the roof of one's mouth) Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of marshmallow every year. Glue is officially considered a dairy by-product. Gelatin is extracted from the hooves of barnyard animals. The male silkworm can smell a female silkworm from seven miles away. Pennsylvania is said to produce the best potatoes for potato chips, because of the richness of the soil. And so on and on... (Of course, how -much- of this fascinating, but relatively useless information, this reader will actually retain is another matter altogether!) Very enjoyable!

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun fact book. Common things are given a background of when the came about and how they started and now exist. Some of the items I was familiar with already, found matches & marshmallow interesting. It's interesting and a quick read. Perfect book to pick up read about an item then come back later. You'll probably discover some new info that you didn't know.

Good to get just for fun! Could be good for kids to read to find out about things- he does cover how chickens are processed etc... so you might find your kid goes vegetarian. :)

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good bedtime reading: short essays on interesting enough topics with goofy illustrations that did not always result in clear depictions of the operations that it tried to explain. The things explained: bowling balls, crayons, hot dogs, light bulbs, potato chips, paper clips, tennis balls, toothpaste--among others.
Fun to read at night before I fell asleep
I will remember to include this in my stack of books to recycle in the Little Libraries. This is perfect for that.

[Nico Janow · Rating 1 out of 5]

The disclaimer for the book claims that the author tried to ensure that his facts were verified. I don't think he tried very hard at all. I noticed several cases of false 'facts', which I consider a major failing in a book that is supposed to inform ignorant people.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

C. I did learn something about bowling balls.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't have the internet for several months, so I'm finally getting around to my "to be read" stack. This is an interesting book. How bowling balls are made is kind of fascinating.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not horrible but honestly the paper and coloring on some of the pages made it more difficult to read. Otherwise, learned a few things.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book was left at my work by my friend Jim Erbe with a note saying, “This had your name all over it! Only you could comprehend the profundity.” The ultimate compliment.

This is a book about how things are made. Each short chapter involves a different product, describing the raw materials, manufacturing processes and equipment used therein, and the finished product variants. This is accompanied by whimsical illustrations showing the aforementioned processes. A sort of prologue describes the history of the product, and there are also “fun facts” about said product.
For example, let’s take books: The “history” paragraph speaks of clay tablets and papyrus rolls used by the Egyptians, books made of bound bamboo strips by the Chinese, and of course the Printing Press from the 15th Century Germany. The author then speaks of the process of writing and publishing a book, then a description of the trees used (spruce and fir), and other materials making up the paper, then the process of inking the paper and the construction of the book proper. In the “Fun Facts” section, one finds out that before the computer age, typesetters were much revered (“the intellectuals of the working class”), because they set they type by hand. Also, a book cannot officially be called a “book” if it is more than 49 pages long. I worked for a summer in a book bindery, which made this description even more relevant, and therefore more enjoyable.

Other such products include peanut butter, toilet paper, lipstick, matches, toothpaste, light bulbs and matches. Think of these short articles as something that would be randomly included in a “Bathroom Reader.” Really, the only criticism I would have is that some of the print (this is a very colorful book) is yellow and as such difficult to read. A minor irritation in an otherwise fun experience. Thanks, Jim!

[Dad (Fred) Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. There were 30 chapters on how various things in every day life are made, produced or manufactured. The various items are listed in alphabetical order, beginning with book and ending with vodka. Each chapter is only three or four pages in length and includes sketches, as well as text. Obviously, this is a book that does not need to be read "straight through" or in one sitting. In fact I read this book by reading it straight through and by jumping around, from chapter to chapter.