How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers

by Sharon Rose

Book Overview

For anyone, young or old, who has ever wondered, how do they make those?-here is an entertaining, illustrated 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 much brass does it take to make a trumpet? The answers -- and so much more fascinating information -- can be found in How Things Are Made , a behind-the-scene look at everyday objects...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579122744
• ISBN13: 9781579122744
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.8" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Interesting Book for Kids

I sent this informative book to my nieces as part of their Christmas package. My Sister reported that they couldn't put it down and were fascinated by the information they learned from it.

A fun book

This was an interesting yet fun book. For those who have a curious nature this is a good one to read.

A book about how some things are made

As the title of this book said, this hardback book contains many items and how they are/were made. The book does not contain every item in the world, but the ones the author chose to explain were fun to read. PS: ...The book's cover is just amazing! The heavy-duty cover is made from thick denim with a pocket in the front. So, if you are giving this book as a gift, and the information does not impress, then the cover sure will.

interesting and informative

Excellent reading - easy to read a little, stop and come back (like read a section before bed at night) Answers a lot of question in an understandable way!

For the enquiring mind

If you enjoy learning about how things are made and how they work, then you will find this book a treasure trove of information. It goes beyond the more elementary "How Things Work" series, because it also covers the history, manufacture, materials, quality control, future evolution, and additional reading for many common household and technical objects. Behind its clever denim jeans pocket-clad cover, the book presents an alphabetical arrangement of items from airbags to zippers, including pencils, salsa, tires, helicopters, compact discs, lightbulbs, and many more.Besides the basic information mentioned above, there are sidebars and boxes containing additional fascinating facts about the products. Here are some examples:- The YKK symbol you see on most zippers stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, the manufacturer of most zippers since 1939.- The "pearl" in pearlized nail polish is actually produced from small pieces of fish scales and skin.- A guitar craftsman is known as a "luthier."- The largest consumer of rubber bands in the world is the U.S. Post Office.Not only is this a valuable reference for specific items you want to learn about, but you will enjoy opening it at random for the pleasure of discovering something new about something very ordinary.