Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Reading and following Brian Clegg's books and blog posts for years now. This is a visually captivating book about scientific laws and particularly enjoyable for children and young adults.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Loved how this book explains all the phenomena and laws that we can find in our own houses or around it and in our day to day activities. It explains in short and easy to understand sentences.

“How it All Works: All Scientific Laws and Phenomena Illustrated & Demonstrated” by Brian Clegg and illustrated by Adam Dant, is a fun and interesting way of looking at how science really affects our daily lives. Each section starts out with a very detailed drawing of an area (kitchen, house, city, planet, etc.) followed by an explanation of the scientific laws and phenomenon that are demonstrated in fun and unique ways in the drawings.

Let’s start out by saying that the illustrations are gorgeous and so much fun to explore; it reminds one of the Richard Scarry books one read as a kid, full of busy details that one spends hours going over, finding little jokes that you feel were put in there just for you.

But it’s the descriptions where the book didn’t meet my expectations: each scientific law or phenomenon was defined in one sentence, with a second sentence tying it to the illustration (most of the time). And the tie-in was just a statement most of the time, along the lines of “less density makes the balloon float”. I guess I was hoping for some in-depth explanations and detailed descriptions. Without that, I’m not really sure what the use of this book is, or who the target audience might be. It’s too general to be very informative, yet too detailed in listing the science to be a coffee table book.

So – enjoy the pictures and maybe learn a little. Hopefully, this raises enough interest to learn some more about the science around us.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I loved the idea but hated the execution, which led me to question the purpose of this book. I found it neither informative, nor entertaining. It does not contain any in-depth knowledge, only offering a few inadequate sentences on some really complex physics phenomena. The descriptions are not enough and illustrations do not support the explanations. I was really excited about this but I’m deeply disappointed. I cannot imagine a circumstance where I can use this as a reference book.
(I will not publish this review in any other platform so as not to negatively impact a newly-published work and affect readers who might find this book useful. Each and every book published is precious and requires serious amount of effort)

This book is a solid 5 for the idea but a 3 for the execution. Average:4
What I loved:
Large illustrations showing scientific laws and principles in the "real world"
Short, simple explanations of the laws and principles
The sheer number of scientific ideas shown
The mini-biographies of famous scientists

What I didn't like:
The monochromatic illustrations sometimes made it hard to tell what was being shown
The sheer amount of things going on the each illustration. This might not have been so bad (since there were snippets next to each explanation), but it sometimes made no sense without the syringe context.

Over all:
This would also be really cool as a series of posters for a classroom or as an interactive where the images could zoom in to illustrate the law or principle
This would be a fun "bathroom reader" in a science-y home or to have a few copies of for students to read like a "Where's Waldo"

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

How it All Works is a meticulously and extravagantly illustrated guide to scientific laws and principles by Adam Dant & Brian Clegg. Due out 2nd Nov 2021 from Quarto on their Ivy Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a genuinely useful and engaging book which does a good job of illuminating physical/scientific concepts and distilling them into understandable intuitively digestible information. Each double page illustration is packed with action - the illustrations are frenetic and *full* of things to look at. The following key panels explain where, when, what, how, and why. The keyhole panels are labeled with a L for laws, and a P for phenomena alongside an accessible short explanation.

Although aimed at middle grade to high school readers, this would be a great addition to the home library. This would also be a good choice for public or school library acquisition and/or gift giving.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

“How it All Works” by Adam Dant and Brian Clegg is an enjoyable book that introduces how scientific laws and phenomenon occur in our daily lives. It would be an excellent introduction for middle schoolers who are interested in science as well as a gift for science lovers of all ages.

How it All Works by Brian Clegg and Adam Dant is a brilliant book that demonstrates the laws of science in action all around us in our everyday lives. The illustrations are mesmerizing and the book captivates you from the start. I thought the bite sized paragraphs of information next to a small picture were brilliant. It is organised so that you can pick it up and put it down again whenever the fancy takes you. It is a great coffee table book, and would also be good for children to help them relate scientific laws to everyday life. It brings science down to earth a bit and helps everyone understand the way it governs everything around us. An excellent book that I would highly recommend to everyone.

.

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

A lovely guide to scientific laws! This would be a perfect gift for a kid ages 10-15 interested in science, especially if they are like I was and enjoy reading reference books cover to cover. Not recommended for most people to read straight through, but a fantastic coffee table book! ARC provided by NetGalley. Posted on goodreads

This is sooooo cool! An illustrated guide to the scientific phenomena and laws of science in place all around us in our everyday lives. Even the simplest act, like making breakfast, exemplifies so much of how the natural world works and it cultivates a healthy sense of wonder to be aware of it.

This is suitable for any adult nerd, of course, but would also be excellent for middle school and high school readers. It's very information dense, so I recommend reading it in small bites to fully absorb the principles explained, but it's a lesson in applied science that I think will really resonate.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!