The objects that fill our everyday environment such as streetlights and railway tracks are so familiar we hardly notice them. Larger, more exotic facilities like nuclear power plants have transformed vast tracts of the landscape. This, "one of the most magical books I've ever chanced upon" (Alain de Botton, "The Observer"), is a compelling guide for those who want to explore the world created by man.
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We are surrounded by the hardware of the modern world, but how much of it do we even notice, much less understand? This unique and fascinating book covers the parts of the landscape that are often overlooked despite their ubiquity--objects such as utility poles, power lines, cell phone towers, highway overpasses, railroad tracks, factories, and other man-made mechanical marvels. And they are not just in urban areas, but include out of the way "ecosystems" such as mines, dams, wind farms, power plants, grain operators, steel mills, and oil refineries. In Infrastructure, Brian Hayes offers clear explanations of the systems that keep the modern world running, including agriculture, energy supplies, shipping, air transportation, and the various ingenious methods of recycling and managing the waste we generate.
Subtitled "A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape," the book is laid out like a nature guide, with comprehensive details and photographs on every page. "There can be just as much of interest happening on a factory rooftop as there is in the forest canopy, just as much to marvel at in the operation of a strip-mining dragline as in the geological carving of a river canyon," writes Hayes. A mine may not be as scenic as a mountain peak, but he argues it can hold as much fascination. His "chief aim is simply to describe and explain the technological fabric of society, not to judge whether it is good or bad, beautiful or ugly." In this he does an impressive job. He tells us how things work and why they are located where they are, and answers dozens of practical questions in the process. He also walks us through how raw materials such as coal, timber, petroleum, and water are converted and transported for use in our homes and businesses. Readers won't view the industrial landscape that same way after poring over this remarkable book. --Shawn Carkonen --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Beautifully illustrated, continually informative, it richly deserves to become this season's unlikely bestseller." Alain de Botton, The Independent "Original, highly readable... An extraordinary book." Scientific American "When seen through the discriminating lens of author and photographer Brian Hayes, man-made objects appear as exquisite and natural as organic ones." Wired"
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
What a book find for the inquisitive soul! Everything I've ever wanted to know about hundreds of things I didn't know I was curious about until I started reading. This book is wonderously addictive if you like to understand how things work, (or why they don't, eg. strip mining, pulp & paper, etc.) Excellent and informative photography in a coffee table sized, beautifully produced volume. Highly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars
38 reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get the hard cover edition
Jun 5 2007
By S McF
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
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.
I'm returning it and ordering the hard cover edition.
52 of 55 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
How Thing Work
Nov 17 2005
By John Matlock
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A profusely illustrated, clearly written book
April 2 2006
By Dr Hilary Rhodes
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 38 reviews
4.9 out of 5 stars
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