Picture 1 of 1
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
Condition:
2 available / 1 sold
Postage:
Located in: Racine, Wisconsin, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Wed, 26 Jun and Fri, 28 Jun to 43230
Returns:
Payments:
Shop with confidence
Seller information
- 99.5% positive Feedback
Registered as a business seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:166647515950
All net proceeds will support Goodwill Retail Services, Inc.
- Official eBay for Charity listing. Learn more
- This sale benefits a verified non-profit partner.
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9780544668256
- Book Title
- Thing Explainer : Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Item Length
- 13 in
- Publication Year
- 2015
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 0.6 in
- Genre
- Technology & Engineering, Science, Humor
- Topic
- Topic / School & Education, Mechanics / General, General, Essays, Physics / General
- Item Weight
- 28.3 Oz
- Item Width
- 9 in
- Number of Pages
- 64 Pages
About this product
Product Information
Have you ever tried to learn more about some incredible thing, only to be frustrated by incomprehensible jargon? Randall Munroe is here to help. In Thing Explainer, he uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, "ten hundred") most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is, including: food-heating radio boxes (microwaves) tall roads (bridges) computer buildings (datacenters) the shared space house (the International Space Station) the other worlds around the sun (the solar system) the big flat rocks we live on (tectonic plates) the pieces everything is made of (the periodic table) planes with turning wings (helicopters) boxes that make clothes smell better (washers and dryers) the bags of stuff inside you (cells) How do these things work? Where do they come from? What would life be like without them? And what would happen if we opened them up, heated them up, cooled them down, pointed them in a different direction, or pressed this button? In Thing Explainer, Munroe gives us the answers to these questions and so many more. Funny, interesting, and always understandable, this book is for anyone--age 5 to 105--who has ever wondered how things work, and why.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
HarperCollins
ISBN-10
0544668251
ISBN-13
9780544668256
eBay Product ID (ePID)
211280864
Product Key Features
Book Title
Thing Explainer : Complicated Stuff in Simple Words
Number of Pages
64 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2015
Topic
Topic / School & Education, Mechanics / General, General, Essays, Physics / General
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Technology & Engineering, Science, Humor
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
0.6 in
Item Weight
28.3 Oz
Item Length
13 in
Item Width
9 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Brilliant...a wonderful guide for curious minds."-- Bill Gates "Like any good work of science writing, [ Thing Explainer ] is equal parts lucid, funny, and startling.''-- NewYorker.com "Clever, intricate" -- New York Magazine , The Approval Matrix ("highbrow, brilliant") "Funny, precise and beautifully designed" --The Guardian "...with witty, playful diagrams, you'll be understanding nuclear reactors ('heavy metal power buildings') in no time." --NPR.org, Best Books of 2015 "Whimsical...Munroe's masterpiece is the antidote to scientific jargon, ably demonstrating that not knowing the exact name for something doesn't mean you can't grasp how it works. The same holds for those doing the explaining: you don't need to use big words to convey meaning. If anything, it just gets in the way." --Gizmodo, Best Science Books of 2015 "Required reading for the curious." --Popular Science "This book is a feast for the eyes and a party for your brain. I cannot more highly recommend that you get this for yourself, your favorite nerd, or someone who just loves beautiful drawings." --Scientific American "One of the charms of this new book is that it imbues everything between its covers with a childlike and unpretentious sense of delight in humanity's intellectual achievements." --Tor.com "[ Thing Explainer ] soars in both explanatory clarity and entertainment value...Munroe delightfully challenges us to reassess our preconceptions and think of things in new ways." -- American Scientist "Munroe's signature humor and firm grasp on the underlying science and engineering make the book a delightful and informative read." -- Science Magazine " Thing Explainer overall is unintimidating and engaging, with lavish blueprint-like illustrations that draw you into just about every page...Munroe has a gift for turning his own curiosity into your own edification." --CNET "I think a lot of people will have a lot of fun reading this book. Even if you know many big ideas, it is fun to see them get very small. And if you just want to learn about how things work, then the book will show you some big ideas without hitting you with big words too. As an idea for how to write a book, I think Thing Explainer is a good one." --Nerdist PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? "Toreinvigorate your sense of cosmic wonder...breeze through former NASA scientist Munroe's lively answers--peppered with line drawings--to some pretty bizarre questions about life, the universe, and everything else...Extreme astrophysics and indecipherable chemistry have rarely been this clearly explained or this consistently hilarious." -- Entertainment Weekly "10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year" "Catchy and approachable...There's plenty of scientific rigor behind his elaborate explanations but he punctuates them with sly humor and winningly primitive cartoon diagrams...A cut above so many popular science and technology books." --NPR.org "Consistently fascinating and entertaining...Munroe leavens the hard science with whimsical touches...An illuminating handbook of methods of reasoning." -- Wall Stre, "Brilliant...a wonderful guide for curious minds."--Bill Gates "Like any good work of science writing, [Thing Explainer] is equal parts lucid, funny, and startling.''--NewYorker.com "Clever, intricate" --New York Magazine, The Approval Matrix ("highbrow, brilliant") "Funny, precise and beautifully designed" --The Guardian "...with witty, playful diagrams, you'll be understanding nuclear reactors ('heavy metal power buildings') in no time." --NPR.org, Best Books of 2015 "Whimsical...Munroe's masterpiece is the antidote to scientific jargon, ably demonstrating that not knowing the exact name for something doesn't mean you can't grasp how it works. The same holds for those doing the explaining: you don't need to use big words to convey meaning. If anything, it just gets in the way." --Gizmodo, Best Science Books of 2015 "Required reading for the curious." --Popular Science "This book is a feast for the eyes and a party for your brain. I cannot more highly recommend that you get this for yourself, your favorite nerd, or someone who just loves beautiful drawings." --Scientific American "One of the charms of this new book is that it imbues everything between its covers with a childlike and unpretentious sense of delight in humanity's intellectual achievements."--Tor.com "[Thing Explainer] soars in both explanatory clarity and entertainment value...Munroe delightfully challenges us to reassess our preconceptions and think of things in new ways." --American Scientist "Munroe's signature humor and firm grasp on the underlying science and engineering make the book a delightful and informative read." --Science Magazine "Thing Explainer overall is unintimidating and engaging, with lavish blueprint-like illustrations that draw you into just about every page...Munroe has a gift for turning his own curiosity into your own edification." --CNET "I think a lot of people will have a lot of fun reading this book. Even if you know many big ideas, it is fun to see them get very small. And if you just want to learn about how things work, then the book will show you some big ideas without hitting you with big words too. As an idea for how to write a book, I think Thing Explainer is a good one." --Nerdist PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? "Toreinvigorate your sense of cosmic wonder...breeze through former NASA scientist Munroe's lively answers--peppered with line drawings--to some pretty bizarre questions about life, the universe, and everything else...Extreme astrophysics and indecipherable chemistry have rarely been this clearly explained or this consistently hilarious."--Entertainment Weekly "10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year" "Catchy and approachable...There's plenty of scientific rigor behind his elaborate explanations but he punctuates them with sly humor and winningly primitive cartoon diagrams...A cut above so many popular science and technology books."--NPR.org "Consistently fascinating and entertaining...Munroe leavens the hard science with whimsical touches...An illuminating handbook of methods of reasoning --, "Brilliant...a wonderful guide for curious minds."-- Bill Gates "Like any good work of science writing, [ Thing Explainer ] is equal parts lucid, funny, and startling.''''-- NewYorker.com "Clever, intricate" -- New York Magazine , The Approval Matrix ("highbrow, brilliant") "Required reading for the curious." --Popular Science "This book is a feast for the eyes and a party for your brain. I cannot more highly recommend that you get this for yourself, your favorite nerd, or someone who just loves beautiful drawings." --Scientific American "I think a lot of people will have a lot of fun reading this book. Even if you know many big ideas, it is fun to see them get very small. And if you just want to learn about how things work, then the book will show you some big ideas without hitting you with big words too. As an idea for how to write a book, I think Thing Explainer is a good one." --Nerdist "One of the charms of this new book is that it imbues everything between its covers with a childlike and unpretentious sense of delight in humanity's intellectual achievements." --Tor.com "[Thing Explainer] soars in both explanatory clarity and entertainment value...Munroe delightfully challenges us to reassess our preconceptions and think of things in new ways." -- American Scientist "Munroe''s signature humor and firm grasp on the underlying science and engineering make the book a delightful and informative read." --Science Magazine "Thing Explainer overall is unintimidating and engaging, with lavish blueprint-like illustrations that draw you into just about every page...Munroe has a gift for turning his own curiosity into your own edification." --CNET "...with witty, playful diagrams, you'll be understanding nuclear reactors ('heavy metal power buildings') in no time." --NPR.org, Best Books of 2015 PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? "To reinvigorate your sense of cosmic wonder...breeze through former NASA scientist Munroe's lively answers--peppered with line drawings--to some pretty bizarre questions about life, the universe, and everything else...Extreme astrophysics and indecipherable chemistry have rarely been this clearly explained or this consistently hilarious." -- Entertainment Weekly "10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year" "Catchy and approachable...There's plenty of scientific rigor behind his elaborate explanations but he punctuates them with sly humor and winningly primitive cartoon diagrams...A cut above so many popular science and technology books." -- NPR.org "Consistently fascinating and entertaining...Munroe leavens the hard science with whimsical touches...An illuminating handbook of methods of reasoning." -- Wall Street Journal "Education should aim to teach people to reason confidently about problems that they have never come across before. This book is a great deal of fun, and a masterclass in such reasoning. Like all the best lessons, you only realise you''ve learned something once you''ve finished it." -- The Economist "Munroe takes inane, useless and often quite pointless questions asked by real humans (mostly sent to him through his website), and turns them into beautiful expositions on the impossible that illuminate the furthest reaches, almost to the limits, of the modern sciences...The answers are all illustrated with XKCD''s trademark stick figures...and these are eminently approachable." -- Newsweek " What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions includes old favorites, new inquiries and the mix of expert research and accessible wit that has made Munroe a favorite among both geeks and laymen." -- TIME "Loaded with the same dry wit and blank-faced stick figures that populate xkcd, What If? is that rare book that will have you laughing as you learn just how a mass extinction might unfold." -- Discover, "...a wonderful guide for curious minds." -- Bill Gates "Like any good work of science writing, [ Thing Explainer ] is equal parts lucid, funny, and startling.'' -- NewYorker.com PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? "To reinvigorate your sense of cosmic wonder...breeze through former NASA scientist Munroe's lively answers--peppered with line drawings--to some pretty bizarre questions about life, the universe, and everything else...Extreme astrophysics and indecipherable chemistry have rarely been this clearly explained or this consistently hilarious." -- Entertainment Weekly "10 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year" "Catchy and approachable...There's plenty of scientific rigor behind his elaborate explanations but he punctuates them with sly humor and winningly primitive cartoon diagrams...A cut above so many popular science and technology books." -- NPR.org "Consistently fascinating and entertaining...Munroe leavens the hard science with whimsical touches...An illuminating handbook of methods of reasoning." -- Wall Street Journal "Education should aim to teach people to reason confidently about problems that they have never come across before. This book is a great deal of fun, and a masterclass in such reasoning. Like all the best lessons, you only realise you've learned something once you've finished it." -- The Economist "Munroe takes inane, useless and often quite pointless questions asked by real humans (mostly sent to him through his website), and turns them into beautiful expositions on the impossible that illuminate the furthest reaches, almost to the limits, of the modern sciences...The answers are all illustrated with XKCD's trademark stick figures...and these are eminently approachable." -- Newsweek " What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions includes old favorites, new inquiries and the mix of expert research and accessible wit that has made Munroe a favorite among both geeks and laymen." -- TIME "Loaded with the same dry wit and blank-faced stick figures that populate xkcd, What If? is that rare book that will have you laughing as you learn just how a mass extinction might unfold." -- Discover
Lccn
2016-449258
Dewey Decimal
500
Lc Classification Number
Q173
Copyright Date
2015
Item description from the seller
Business seller information
Goodwill Retail Services, Inc.
Lisa Heider
6055 N 91st St
53225-1710 Milwaukee, WI
United States
I certify that all my selling activities will comply with all EU laws and regulations.
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:166647515950
Postage and packaging
Item location:
Racine, Wisconsin, United States
Posts to:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Croatia, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Excludes:
Barbados, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Libya, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Venezuela
| Postage and packaging | Each additional item | To | Service | Delivery*See Delivery notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free postage | Free | United States | Economy P&P (USPS Media MailTM) | Estimated between Wed, 26 Jun and Fri, 28 Jun to 43230 |
| US $4.00 (approx EUR 3.74) | US $4.00 (approx EUR 3.74) | United States | Expedited Shipping | Estimated between Wed, 26 Jun and Thu, 27 Jun to 43230 |
| Dispatch time |
|---|
| Will usually dispatch within 3 working days of receiving cleared payment. |
| Taxes |
|---|
| Seller charges sales tax in |
Sales tax for an item #166647515950
Sales tax for an item #166647515950
Seller collects sales tax/VAT for items dispatched to the following states:
| County | VAT rate |
|---|
Returns policy
| After receiving the item, cancel the purchase within | Refund will be given as | Return postage |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Money back | Buyer pays for return postage |
The buyer is responsible for return postage costs.
| Return policy details |
|---|
| Returns accepted |
Most Buy It Now purchases are protected by the Consumer Rights Directive, which allow you to cancel the purchase within seven working days from the day you receive the item. Find out more about your rights as a buyer and exceptions.
Payment details
Payment methods
Registered as a business seller
Seller Feedback (284,831)
5***4 (2003)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Great Transaction Thanx.
2***0 (624)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Thank you
2***2 (229)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Very good!
More to explore:
- The Word Magazines,
- Mathematics Explained for Primary Teachers Adult Learning & University Books,
- Swamp Thing Comics, Graphic Comic Books,
- The Word Magazines in English,
- Mathematics Explained for Primary Teachers Paperback Adult Learning & University Books,
- Music, 1970s The Word Magazines,
- July The Word Magazines,
- The Word Monthly Magazines in English,
- Where the Wild Things Are Fiction Picture Books-Fiction Books,
- Where the Wild Things Are Fiction Picture Book Hardcover Books in English