The New Way Things WorkDavid Macaulay
The New Way Things Work
by David Macaulay · first published 1999
10mentions
7recommended by
9HN commenters
2009–2026first – last mentioned
78% recommend22% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Illustrated explanations of how everyday machines and technologies work, including an updated computer section; readers say it sparked curiosity in kids and gave them a broad foundation in how things function.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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He might like David Macaulay's _The Way Things Work_ ( http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473/ ). Also, libraries in general, including university libraries. Some books on homeschooling (such as Grace Llewellyn's _Teenage Liberation Handbook_) are full of pointers for self-study.
on “Ask HN: How Can I Make Better Submissions to HN?” ↗My favourite is "The New Way Things Work" by David Macaulay. Loved this book as a kid, it really got me into trying to figure out how the world worked (the title really nailed it).
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗Did you have The Way Things Work or The New Way Things Work? I had the latter around the same time. I thought the extended computer section (Bill's Gates!) was very helpful. I still really like the visual in which the image of a mammoth is turned into a series…
on “Computer Graphics from Scratch” ↗…fictional narrative is deeply engaging to curious minds but also very forgiving of a child's fickle attention. I'm within arm's reach of the copy I was given almost twenty years ago. http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473
on “Ask HN: What books would you recommend for 7-8 year old kid?” ↗The New Way Things Work, not a textbook per se. It's an encyclopaedia. But it taught so many things.
on “Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?” ↗I can't remember exactly, but I think there was some kind of light story element to "The New Way Things Work" Edit: just noticed the bit about not reliant on pictures, that rules that one out. I recommend it regardless, but maybe not for the exact use-case you're describing
on “How to draw construction equipment for kids” ↗…probably 90% of my understanding of how why so many transistors can add up to a CPU, and I didn't learn any programming for a good ten years after I pored through that book as a kid (for me it was "The new way things work", updated for the computer age).
on “Factories Are Just Rooms” ↗My brother use to have a book (well, probably still does somewhere) called The New Way Things Work. It had simple explanations of how tons of different mechanisms work, but it had an entire chapter dedicated to explaining how digital systems could work, using woolly mammoths and various sorts of pie…
on “Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter” ↗…mentions that they then used the CD-ROM The Way Things Work 2.0 to give their test subjects a more accurate view of how these things work. I actually gave one of my nephews a book from that series (The New Way Things Work) a few years ago, though it mostly covered the mechanics of things. If the confusion was over things like "how does the siphon work" or maybe "why does the water swirl when it flushes", I think that'd…
on “Political Extremism Is Supported by an Illusion of Understanding (2013) [pdf]” ↗Anybody here have "The Way Things Work" or "The New Way Things Work"? Haven't opened it in 20 years, but I don't think I've poured over a book the same way since. https://www.amazon.com/Way-Things-Work-David-Macaulay/dp/039... https://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473
on “John Peralta Explodes Historic Technology into Three-Dimensional Diagrams” ↗