How Things Work Volumes, I to IV

I can't help but think WSHTF these will be worth a fortune. It will give people a good head start on rebuilding civilization if it ever comes to that... Why else do you think "Brain" in Escape From New York chose to live in a library?This set of books is a great primer on how many of the mechanical items work in our civilization. Even some of the items that can't give you the proportions needed still give you a wonderful starting point that you can fine tune from there.Absolutely indispensable for a society that has to "start over after the holocaust"...Had to wait over 5 years until I found a set that was affordable...they are THAT good!

If you've read the sci-fi novel Lucifer's Hammer, you're familiar with this set. It's interesting, but by no means is it a repair manual and I can't think why the author had a character use it as currency to buy his way into a Doomsday shelter; a full set of Popular Mechanics would have made a better plot device.

This is the four volume set (according to Niven and Pournelle) that everyone should have (well, maybe everygeek) in the aftermath of a civilization destroying comet impact. Took me years to find. And that brings up a qualification. Many of the things that work, described with very nice illustrations, are cutting edge tech of the 1970s or early '80s, not so much now. So we see a block and tackle, of timeless relevance, and the rotating print ball from an IBM Selectric typewriter, perhaps not such an enduring bit of technology. Since it's unlikely this will ever see another print run, I' d get this while it's still relatively cheap, especially if you want to revive the 1970's after the apocalypse.

I loved the pristine state in which the books were. Looked like new! This seller is really professional and so far all the books that I bought are really high quality and worth the price posted.This book series gives a clear and good explanation of several technical topics: I know that today I can go to Wikipedia, but I also like to read from an accountable source, especially when I am using the references for my work.

Now this book series is a classic the volumes are each a master piece in themselves.They cover everything from arc welders to atomic reactors and everything in between. some of the information in there is way above my head but still presented in a straight forward and informative way that still makes it enjoyable and a joy to read. I think some of the subjects could of been expanded on but thats because they are the subjects that i was interested in but it would of made the books way to big and unwieldily.the size of the actual books are good that you can take them anywhere and still be able to whip them out and start reading even standing.once again great series and a must for any knowledge hoarder.Thomas Rogers

I had a set of these in my 20's and very much enjoyed reading the volumes thru. They haven't been updated for a very long time, but then, mechanical devices fundamentally stay the same. Somehow, the volumes seem to include Everything up to the space shuttle. Elevators/dumbwaiters, air powered organs( the big church ones, not the band electric type), hot water heat piping, pumps, you can find it. I bought these as a gift for a friend who is a tinkerer/inventor, and wistfully presented them to him. This puppy is choked with illustrations...I remember these as I remember the Whole Earth Catalog; this set was probably reviewed there.

Clearly a novelty purchase, but neat to have all four volumes. They're in good condition, came at a good price, and the cover art is really cool, so makes for a nice bookshelf addition.

Quality printing, illustration and binding make this reference set a joy to read. Great coverage of mechanical engineering principles. Sure you can find much of this information elsewhere but not with such high quality presentation.