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Best Sellers | | Home Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape | |
|  | |  | | | Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape | | | | | SKU:
MAK_new_usd__9780393329599 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | “Original, highly readable. . . . An extraordinary book.”—Anne Eisenberg, Scientific American | | | |
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| $35.00 | |
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| $23.10
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Brian Hayes | | Paperback: | 544 pages | | Publisher: | W. W. Norton & Company | | Publication Date: | September 17, 2006 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0393329593 | | Product Length: | 9.66 inches | | Product Width: | 9.68 inches | | Product Height: | 0.89 inches | | Product Weight: | 3.76 pounds | | Package Length: | 10.2 inches | | Package Width: | 9.7 inches | | Package Height: | 1.1 inches | | Package Weight: | 3.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 35 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 35 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 found the following review helpful:
 Get the hard cover edition Jun 06, 2007
By S McF
Great book but the paperback edition is unwieldy. The book is very wide and printed on high quality, glossy paper which is very heavy. It's almost impossible to read the paperback edition when holding it in your hands because it won't lie flat.
I'm returning it and ordering the hard cover edition.
52 of 55 found the following review helpful:
How Thing Work Nov 17, 2005
By John Matlock
"Gunny"
In times past everyone pretty well knew what everything you saw was, how it was built, and what it was for. Now, you can't keep up. This book might be called a field guide to modern technology. It answers the questions you or your scientifically oriented high-schooler might ask, like:
Why are cell phone antennas triangular
Why are power plant cooling towers shaped the way they are
How do train signals work (There's a whole chapter on railroads.)
and bridges
and airports
and ships
and mines
and dams
and sewers
and barns.
It seems that nothing has escaped the camera and inquisitive mind of the author. It's a fascinating book, suitable for coffee table or especially to keep in the car when driving with the inquisitive kid. It's a book that I pick up when interested in something, and then find that I haven't put it down until I've covered ten or twenty pages. I guess I'm still the inquisitive kid.
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
A profusely illustrated, clearly written book Apr 02, 2006
By Dr Hilary Rhodes
"hilary@optusnet.com.au"
Brian Hayes has produced an excellent book which descibes the workings of the industrial infrustructure as we see it on the surface of the industrialised world, in particular the US and Italy.
Hayes clearly explains what we often see as mysterious, arcane and inexplicable structures in the industrial landscape in clear terms, without becoming tediously technical and using difficult technical terminology, regarding those who may not be overly familar with the mechanics and procedures of mining, energy production and other similar industries.
The text is profusely illustrated with clear colour photographs with captions on every page. Very few diagrams are included, unless absolutely necessary. The captions associated with the photographs elucidate the workings of the machinery or structures depicted. Details such as pylon insulators are also explained. Importantly, a sense of scale is always provided by pointing out an object in the picture which is recognisable.
This is an important book, long needed. It is non-judgemental, and written with a playfulness which makes it all the more engaging. The analogies and explanations given are clear, and the language is accessible most readers including young people from the age of ten, without being condescending.
Infrastructure is a well designed book, produced on art paper (glossy and china coated), and is actually quite weighty. The layout is clear and functional, good typography and eminently legible. The design matches its contents.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Great Gift for Inquiring Minds (Geeks) Mar 03, 2006
By K. Beachy
My husband is the kind of guy who likes to drive out into the countryside following power lines to see where they go. The book seemed like a natural fit, so I ordered it for him for Valentine's day.
Mistake! He spent much of the evening of the 14th poring over the pages, "plugged into the Source," so to speak. (To his credit, he eventually tore himself away from it--with great regret.) So: excellent gift for the technical guys and gals in your life, but don't expect them pay attention to you any time in the next two weeks.
I'd guess Infrastructure would also be a good non-TV option for frazzled moms with bright, incessantly questioning children. Plunk them on the couch, plop the book on their lap, don't forget to provide food and water periodically.
Surprisingly, I found myself drawn to the book as well. I fall into an unresponsive trance when anyone so much as mentions an internal combustion engine, but Brian Hayes is quite seductive. He caught my eye with the gorgeous pictures and layout; I stayed to read the captions, then lingered to skim the text, and suddenly I was fascinated by mega-mining machines and exit ramp layouts.
Even the pages smell good.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
The answers to so many questions Feb 19, 2007
By T Leaf
As an engineer myself, I have been repeatedly astonished at how much this book has to offer. So many things I have wondered about and speculated on are addressed here. It's a long read (at least for me) but worth every minute. I wish I'd had this book 25 years ago as I probably could have skipped the first year or two of engineering school. It does get a bit geeky in places, with a few more detailed descriptions, but overall, it's written for someone with a curious mind. I feel like I can travel around our landscape with a new layer of understanding about how and why things are the way they are. An invaluable resource.
Highly recommended.
See all 35 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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