MACHINERY’S HANDBOOK (29TH EDITION)

By Erik Oberg $65 ToolBox, $85 Large Print (street prices) : Industrial Press

The Machinery’s Handbook, currently in its 29th edition, is an engineering reference that covers many metalworking, machining, fabrication, manufacturing, and mechanical design topics. It is full of encyclopedic information, calculations, charts, and standards that might be difficult to find anywhere else, at least in such a concise and easily digested manner.

In today’s age, it is common to look toward the internet for reference material, but unfortunately there is a lot of incomplete information out there. If you are doing any kind of fabrication work, whether on the serious hobbyist level or production level, you really need this “Bible of the Metalworking Industries” on your bookshelf.

There are two print sizes – a compact “toolbox” edition and a regular sized “large print” edition.

—Stuart Deutsch

HOWTOONS: TOOLS OF MASS CONSTRUCTION

By Saul Griffith, Ingrid Dragotta, and Nick Dragotta $15: Image Comics

You could probably tell from the cover image that Howtoons is a how-to and educational comic that is primarily intended for a younger audience. But what you cannot tell from the cover is that the book is filled with comedy, fantastic illustrations, wit, creative and clear presentations of scientific concepts and engineering principles, and of course some great kid-friendly projects.

Howtoons follows the adventures, projects, and antics of siblings Celine and Tucker, and is a great read that is fun and educational without being the least bit boring.

If you have enjoyed any of the Howtoons comics that appeared in past issues of Make: magazine, you will love this book.

—SD

Jeffrey Braverman

BORG LIKE ME

By Gareth Branwyn $27 : Sparks of Fire Press

Gareth Branwyn was one of the first writers I read who made me realize that I really could “do It myself.”

Reading Borg Like Me, Branwyn’s collection of his greatest and most personal stories, feels like sitting in a bar with your most interesting friend. One minute he’s talking about the Church of Slack, the next it’s Billy Idol’s answering machine. You have no idea how he connects each topic to the last, but it all flows, and is fascinating and deeply candid. You want to find out more about everything he mentions, and woven through it all is the spirit of William Blake. You may have no idea who this Blake guy is, but it’s clear you’ve got to find out more about him, and everyone else in the book. That’s the magic of Branwyn and of Borg Like Me.

—Tom Igoe