The Secret House

by David Bodanis

Book Overview

In E=mc 2 , David Bodanis took the life's work of one of history's greatest geniuses and made it "astonishingly understandable" (Parade) to the everyday reader. Now he takes the reader through an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671657186
• ISBN13: 9780671657185
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Wanna feel uncomfortable in your own house?

This book features extraordinary photos of everyday items you and I take for granted. Items covered in bacteria,dust mites. microbes,mold and a host of other things that the squeamish will find downright disturbing. It's a great book to pull out in a party, Will weed out the timid in no time flat. Diana Mercer is the co-author of Your Divorce Advisor and her company is [...]

Hairy world up close

The things that happen around us every day are very easy to miss unless a time comes when one reaches for a book such as this one. People think that if it's not in their face, then it doesn't exist, but this book tells you like it is! It follows an average household in two major sections Day and Night; Then breaks activities into- morning, midday, afternoon, then : early evening, dinner continues, Bed & bath. The writing is humorous at times, scientifically proven, accurate and most of all, very interesting and not hard to comprehend. If you ever wondered what's in your toothpaste (chalk, water, paint, seaweed, anti-freeze, paraffin oil, detergent, peppermint and formaldehyde), in your margarine (lard, fish fat, sulfurs, deodorizers, color and some sunflower oil, so that it can be painted on the side of the tub as wholesome), what's in commercial cake mix, why roses are red, how many dust mites- its dead family members- and their poop you sleep and walk on, the history if the fork, dining room table, music, talk, light bulb, why your blue jeans are blue ( decaying oil produced but certain flowers is the tint) , if you ever knew that the lightning bolt is 5 times hotter than the sun itself, what really happens when you flush the toilet and how many days ( 11 to be exact) suspended germs can hover over it, how long that meat that you buy in the store has been lying around for ( 10 days, for muscles of animal to relax after rigor mortis ) and other bizarre interesting things you touch and breather in, then this is the book for you. Don't be scared, it won't make anyone an alarmist, but it's a great tool on learning fascinating info and keeping germs at bay. Knowledge is power. Who knew that invention (the long time it really took) to popularize soap meant end of many plagues and common reasons why people lived do short. Now you will know many fun facts too. Great read, highly recommended.

A fascinating book, not for the squeamish

I don't think that I will recommend this to someone I know who already washes his hands twice before dinner, but if the omnipresence of microbes doesn't freak you out, this is a fascinating book. This covers the minutiae of daily life, the slight shakings of the entire house when one walks across the floor, the dust mites, the drift of particles around the world, the rain of particles from outer space. Bodanis also reviews the ingredients and creation of common items: potato chips, toothpaste, lipstick, deoderant, cake mixes, explaining not only how they work, but how much of the processing is purely advertising hype. The book includes some fantastic special slow-motion, electron-microscope and heat-sensitive photographs. One of the most enlightening and educational books that I have ever read!

Good but No Index and Missing Photos

This is a republication of the book which was written in 1985. It's a very interesting read, but some of the material has probably surfaced elsewhere in the intervening period. It could use an index for future reference, and is missing the some 80 photographs found in the hardback. There are obvious typos in some places, probably because of editing to get the book into paperback form. I'd really suggest buying a used copy of the original, which I would give a 5 star rating to. The photos help a great deal to add to the text.

A compelling and comprehensive overview of the minutiae

Author David Bodanis shares with the reader through easy to comprehend prose and compelling electron microscopic slides the world of an average couple through a complete day cycle. Topics range from the examination of the very small (dust mites), the complex (how do things work?), the ordinary (what exactly *is* in toothpaste?) and the obscure (slime molds). A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.