#000062
How Things Work, Vol. II
C. van Amerongen (trans.)
Volume II of How Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines, the English adaptation of the German reference classic Wie funktioniert das? translated by C. van Amerongen from the work of the Bibliographisches Institut. Like its companions, this volume explains how machines and technologies function through the set's signature format: hundreds of precise two-color diagrams, each paired with clear explanatory text and arranged around the physical principles at work rather than by product type. The complete work ranges across mechanics, electricity, optics, sound, and more—from everyday household devices to industrial processes. Decades on it reads partly as a snapshot of mid-century technology, but its lucid illustrations and first-principles approach keep it genuinely useful. For anyone who enjoys taking the world apart in their mind to see how it runs, it's a rewarding and unusually clear reference.
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The editors
The work originated with the technical editorial team of the Bibliographisches Institut in Mannheim, which published it in German in 1963 as Wie funktioniert das?. The English adaptation was translated and edited by C. van Amerongen, an engineer who rendered its technical German into clear, readable English.
The book
How Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines explains the theory and practice of modern machines and methods across hundreds of entries, from household gadgets to heavy industry. Its signature is the two-color diagram: more than a thousand annotated drawings, each facing a page of explanation, organized by scientific principle rather than product category. This set gathers the material across four volumes.
How it has aged
Some of the technology—analog electronics, film cameras, early data processing—now belongs to history, which is part of the charm. But the physical principles it teaches don't date, and few later references match its clarity of illustration. A period piece that still explains beautifully.
For more context
Compare the closely related The Way Things Work editions and David Macaulay's later illustrated classic of the same name.
Sources
- Type
- Book
- Author / Maker
- C. van Amerongen (trans.)
- ISBN
- None
- Format
- Hardcover
- Shelf
- Reference
- Location
- Maine
Part of 4-vol set