Thing Explainer
First published 2015 · 65 pages · about 1 hour to read
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About this book
The creator of the webcomic "xkcd" uses line drawings and just ten hundred common words to provide simple explanations for how things work, including microwaves, bridges, tectonic plates, the solar system, the periodic table, helicopters, and other essential concepts.
Will you like it?
Readers who like science but want it explained simply will enjoy this book, especially fans of xkcd. Its rule of using only the one thousand most common English words gives each diagram a playful challenge.
- explaining hard things simply
- how machines work
- science and nature
- drawing as explanation
Written with AI.
Books like Thing Explainer
The Way Things Work
David Macaulayabout 6 hours to read
Its detailed labelled drawings also explain how machines and buildings work for a general reader.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Brysonabout 10 hours to read
It takes large scientific subjects such as the universe, Earth and the human body and explains them in friendly, plain prose.
Books like it →Cosmos
Carl Saganabout 6 hours to read
It explains the universe and the scientific method to general readers with clear, wondering prose.
The Disappearing Spoon
Sam Keanabout 7 hours to read
It tells the stories behind the periodic table's elements, which Munroe also covers in simple form.
More
Why Does E=mc2?
Jeff ForshawIt explains a single famous equation and the physics behind it in plain language for non-physicists.
Six Easy Pieces
Richard Phillips Feynmanabout 2 hours to read
It gives short, clear lectures on basic physics that reward readers who like plain explanations of how nature works.
Quick answers
- What age is Thing Explainer for?
- Adults.
- Is Thing Explainer a standalone?
- Yes, it stands on its own.
- Does Thing Explainer have violence, sex or strong language?
- Nothing a reader needs warning about.
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
Reader's guide
Themesexplaining hard things simply, the limits of everyday vocabulary, how machines work, the natural world and science, drawing as explanation
explaining hard things simply · the limits of everyday vocabulary · how machines work · the natural world and science · drawing as explanation
StyleShort labelled captions over hand-drawn line diagrams, with a fixed vocabulary of the ten hundred most common words. Each page is self-contained, so the book can be read in any order. It is about 65 pages and can be read in one sitting, and it suits browsing.
Short labelled captions over hand-drawn line diagrams, with a fixed vocabulary of the ten hundred most common words. Each page is self-contained, so the book can be read in any order. It is about 65 pages and can be read in one sitting, and it suits browsing.
How it was writtenRandall Munroe is an American cartoonist, scientist and former NASA roboticist who draws the webcomic xkcd. In 2012 he published an xkcd comic that explained the Saturn V rocket using only the ten hundred most common words, and the idea grew into this book. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words was published in 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Randall Munroe is an American cartoonist, scientist and former NASA roboticist who draws the webcomic xkcd. In 2012 he published an xkcd comic that explained the Saturn V rocket using only the ten hundred most common words, and the idea grew into this book. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words was published in 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
How it was receivedThe book was popular with general readers and was widely reviewed, with reviewers pointing to its humour and to the way it makes technical subjects accessible. It is often given as a gift and is still read as an accessible introduction to how things work.
The book was popular with general readers and was widely reviewed, with reviewers pointing to its humour and to the way it makes technical subjects accessible. It is often given as a gift and is still read as an accessible introduction to how things work.
Questions to discussWhich explanation in the book made you understand something you had never understood before, and why did the plain words help?
These may talk about the whole book.
- Which explanation in the book made you understand something you had never understood before, and why did the plain words help?
- Some words, such as names of elements or scientific terms, are missing or replaced by longer phrases. What does the rule gain and what does it cost?
- Munroe draws the diagrams by hand. How does the drawing style change the way the subject feels compared with a photograph or a textbook?
- Would the same rule work for a subject you know well? Try explaining it using only common words.
- Which page was funniest, and what makes a serious subject funny when it is described in simple language?
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
More by Randall Munroe
Books by Randall Munroe →Parts of this page are written with AI from what's known about the book, and can get details wrong. How BookSense works