How Cool Stuff Works

This book is an informative younger sibling of The Way Science Works and The Way the Universe Works (reviewed here in January and May 2003 respectively). It has about 90 spreads, each outlining the structure and function of a modern more-or-less high-tech device, from safety matches, electric guitars and motorbikes to voice recognition, MRI scans and Doppler radar.

It is divided into sections dealing with devices which help humans to Connect, Play, Live, Move, Work and Survive. Each spread identifies predecessors and prospective successors of the device described, and each section begins with an Introduction and ends with a What next? spread. It contains an admirable glossary of techno terms, index, techie Timeline and some relevant brief biographies. Don’t be put off by the title.