[.ca] How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers (ISBN 1579122744)

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.