Product Description

The original and still the best, the IRA Children's Choice Book Incredible Cross-Sections is available again--now at a lower price! Spread after spread of amazing, original cross-section drawings take readers inside 18 of the world's most fascinating structures--from the Empire State Building to the Hale Observatory. And two of the remarkable illustrations--the Queen Mary and the Flying Scotsman
steam train--fold out to a length of nearly three feet!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #395588 in Books
• Published on: 1992-07-07
• Released on: 1992-07-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For once "incredible" isn't an overstatement. This dazzling book offers spread after spread of cutaway illustrations that reveal the hidden architecture of 18 celebrated structures, from a Gothic cathedral to a coal mine to the space shuttle. Details are so intricate that the reader will be tempted to reach for a magnifying glass--somehow Biesty conveys a sense of both the proverbial forest and its trees. Two foldouts, each nearly three feet in length, suggest the majestic scale of their subjects: respectively, the ocean liner Queen Mary and a steam train built in 1928. Laid out in the unmistakable Dorling Kindersley style, the artwork is then linked to paragraphs of quirkily explanatory text (one item about galleons proclaims that sailors killed 4000 rats on an Atlantic crossing in 1622; the jumbo jet information includes a description of how air is vented from toilets and how waste is disposed of). Sites are pan-Atlantic--the Empire State Building is shown along with the London Underground--so readers won't mind that the featured auto factory attaches the steering wheel to the "wrong" side of the car. There's not a single misstep in this endlessly entertaining endeavor. All ages.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Biesty, who specializes in historical and architectural cutaway drawings, dissects 18 buildings, vehicles, etc. (castle to space shuttle), to show their veins, sinews, and bones. Each meticulous drawing fills a colorful oversize double spread; two (the Queen Mary and a steam train, The Flying Scotsman) fold out to 40 inches. Introduced by brief texts and surrounded by captions incorporating historical lore, facts, and anecdotes, they contain hundreds of minute details of construction and function. Readers may get as compulsive about this fascinating book as they do about Waldo (one challenge here is to find figures sitting on toilets--there are at least ten). The drawings don't yield all their secrets easily: considerable effort is needed to piece together what's going on in the automobile factory or on the North Sea oil rig. Still, this pictorial information will be absorbed in a more integrated way than from a linear text. In one or two places captions point to the wrong area of a drawing, and they are occasionally marred by silly puns. One error: 747's don't normally use microwave ovens-- they're far too inefficient for bulk food, and could interfere with the radio. Overall: vastly entertaining and instructive. Index. (Nonfiction. 8-80+) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"Readers will be mesmerized by these intricately drawn illustrations featuring models of a varied assortment of vehicles and edifices. From the inner workings of a 14th century European castle to the life-sustaining intricacies of the space shuttle orbiter, the detailed drawings are fascinatingly realistic. A sense of humor flavors both art and text in this striking oversize volume guaranteed to intrigue browsers and serious researchers alike."--Booklist -- Review

Customer Reviews

A must have for the learning child in your family.
I must say that this is one of the most interesting books to look at. Not only does it give interesting facts it gives you great pirctures. This book takes structures and cross-sects them so you can see everything inside. A midevil castle shown to you from all angles, the rooms and infromation on it. Everything you can think of from a castle, cathedral, and opera house to a observatory, car factory, and space shuttle. This is definatly a must have.

Absolutely Fascinating!!
I found a copy of this book in a hospital x-ray waiting area. I could have spent hours poring over it. The cross-sections include a castle, a space shuttle, an observatory, a subway, a cathedral, and more. We see so little of what is around us and this book offers a hugely expanded view. It's like being used to seeing the tip of the iceberg and suddenly seeing the whole iceberg. Like the previous reviewer, I wondered also why only males were shown using the toilet facilities. However, this is a small complaint and the authors could easily correct it in any future editions. I hope they do.

I didn't have enough time to see all I wanted to see of this book, but I was impressed enough to google the illustrator's name. I'm disappointed that Amazon only offers it used, but I do intend to buy a copy. It is represented as a children's book, but I believe most adults would enjoy it also.

Incredible Cross Sections is a great gift for children!
I bought this book as a gift for my nephew. He is 6 and loves to know how things work. This is a fun and engaging view of lots of interesting things: a galleon, a space station, a ship, to name a few - the illustrations are great, and there are people doing things in the drawings which makes it more interesting than a simple cross section or blue print would be. The intricately detailed drawings encourage a child to study the pages instead of leafing through it absently.