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Rating: 
Summary: Lacking in his usual humour, but a metallurgist's delight.
Review: After reading Bill Bryson's other works I was keen to read this. Although very well written and informative, it is not such an easy read as, shall we say, The Lost Continent; more a Walk Through a Sticky Gue than a Walk in the Woods. Many of Mr Bryson's earlier works tend towards the academic. His "Mother Tongue" is a valuable resource for all linguists and it is good to see that he is still capable of writing a useful book that is not merely entertaining.The sections on metal turning and milling are especially good as is the chapter on gas nitriding systems. I haven't had such a laugh about carborundum since the days of Monty Python. I wish he had included more amusing anecdotes as in his other books, but the subject is not quite so suitable. If you have read and enjoyed other Bryson's other books then I would certainly recommend this one. It may be a little technical, but nobody could accuse it of being shallow. Bill Bryson has proved he is much more than a travelogue writer with this unfortunately titled book. Perhaps it should be called "Steel Tools and How They Get that Way."
Rating: 
Summary: Once again - Bill provides us great humor
Review: I agree with Julian, while this particular book may be a bit more technical than his others, it is certainly worth the money and belongs on every Bryson fan's shelf. The insights into metal are as plentiful as the humor - especially when the author dives into the always hilarious topics of carburization and TTT diagrams. Side splitting! I never knew that working with metals could be so entertaining but I guess I should expect that from Bryson. He can make any topic a joy. While the book provides a wide range of knowledge - I'm sure this will become the standard for manuals on grinding which I think is the books strongest section. It is also the section the allows Bryson to really exercise his comedic genuis even if some of the humor may be lost on the casual fan. My only complaint is that this gem isn't available on audio-cassette but I'm sure that Random House will fix that soon. I would love to hear these words from Bill's own mouth especially when he talks about getting the most out of a furnace! Also make sure to look for Bill's book "Cryogenics" which I think he was working on while still living in England - it, too, is a joy to read - especially the highly entertaining section on liquid nitrogen! The section on Stress in Materials was also top notch - almost as humorous as his observations about the women of Iowa in earlier books. Keep up the good work Bill!
Rating:
Summary: Once again - Bill provides us great humor
Review: I agree with Julian, while this particular book may be a bit more technical than his others, it is certainly worth the money and belongs on every Bryson fan's shelf. The insights into metal are as plentiful as the humor - especially when the author dives into the always hilarious topics of carburization and TTT diagrams. Side splitting! I never knew that working with metals could be so entertaining but I guess I should expect that from Bryson. He can make any topic a joy. While the book provides a wide range of knowledge - I'm sure this will become the standard for manuals on grinding which I think is the books strongest section. It is also the section the allows Bryson to really exercise his comedic genuis even if some of the humor may be lost on the casual fan. My only complaint is that this gem isn't available on audio-cassette but I'm sure that Random House will fix that soon. I would love to hear these words from Bill's own mouth especially when he talks about getting the most out of a furnace! Also make sure to look for Bill's book "Cryogenics" which I think he was working on while still living in England - it, too, is a joy to read - especially the highly entertaining section on liquid nitrogen! The section on Stress in Materials was also top notch - almost as humorous as his observations about the women of Iowa in earlier books. Keep up the good work Bill!
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time for metallurgical information
Review: I am always surprized at the lack of information about the metal heat treating field. This book is definitely included in this. Although many of the processing techniques are good, some make me cringe and want to run for cover. The metallurgical information is remaniscent of Biringuccio or Agricola, both written in the 1500's. If you have enough metallurgical knowledge to know what is correct and what processing techniques are good, then you don't need this book. If you don't have enough knowledge to decipher this, then it is unreliable. On a lighter note, the other sections, not dealing with heat treating, seem good.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time for metallurgical information
Review: I am always surprized at the lack of information about the metal heat treating field. This book is definitely included in this. Although many of the processing techniques are good, some make me cringe and want to run for cover. The metallurgical information is remaniscent of Biringuccio or Agricola, both written in the 1500's. If you have enough metallurgical knowledge to know what is correct and what processing techniques are good, then you don't need this book. If you don't have enough knowledge to decipher this, then it is unreliable. On a lighter note, the other sections, not dealing with heat treating, seem good.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this the Bill Bryson I know?
Review: I have not read this book, but in my search for titles by Bill Bryson, this came up. I wonder if this is the Bill Brson, humorous travelwriter that I know and love.
Rating:
Summary: This is not the same Bill Bryson as you are thinking of.
Review: If you are looking for all the books Bryson has written, look up his official web site or at random house publication's web site.
Rating:
Summary: This is not the same Bill Bryson as you are thinking of.
Review: If you are looking for all the books Bryson has written, look up his official web site or at random house publication's web site.
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