Description

Book Synopsis

Randall Munroe is . . .''Nerd royalty'' Ben Goldacre

''Totally brilliant'' Tim Harford

''Laugh-out-loud funny'' Bill Gates

''Wonderful'' Neil Gaiman

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER



The world''s most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the million-selling What If? and Thing Explainer

For any task you might want to do, there''s a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally bad that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It''s full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.

''How strange science can fix everyday problems'' New Scientist

''A brilliant book: clamber in for a wild ride'' Nature



Trade Review
Ridiculous, delightful and, damn it, educational * Sunday Times (Culture) *
A pure delight, a salty-sweet mixture of hard science and bonkers whimsy * Boing Boing *
Extremely accurate and often amusing answers to everyday issues * Daily Mail *
Consistently fascinating and entertaining * Wall Street Journal *
The creator of the popular, extremely excellent webcomic xkcd cleverly illustrates a guide of complicated solutions to simple tasks as common as digging a hole * USA Today *
[How To] tackles problems from the mundane-such as how to move to a new house-to those that may trouble a mad scientist building her first lava moat. The solutions are often hilariously, and purposefully, absurd. Embedded in these solutions, however, is solid scientific, engineering, and experimental understanding . . . [for] anyone who appreciates science-based solutions to life's problems * Science Magazine *
A witty, educational examination of 'unusual approaches to common tasks' . . . generously laced with dry humor . . . Munroe's comic stick-figure art is an added bonus. . . . Apart from generating laughter, the book also manages to achieve his serious objective: to get his audience thinking * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
A gleefully nerdy hypothetical instruction book for armchair scientists of all ages * Booklist *
An enjoyable treat for fans of logic puzzles, brain hacking, kaizen, mad science, and other forms of mental stimulation * Kirkus Reviews *
Required reading across the world * New York Times *
A great deal of fun * The Economist *
Fascinating * Guardian *

How To

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Fri 19 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Randall Munroe

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of How To by Randall Munroe

      Publisher: John Murray Press
      Publication Date: 03/09/2020
      ISBN13: 9781473680340, 978-1473680340
      ISBN10: 1473680344

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Randall Munroe is . . .''Nerd royalty'' Ben Goldacre

      ''Totally brilliant'' Tim Harford

      ''Laugh-out-loud funny'' Bill Gates

      ''Wonderful'' Neil Gaiman

      AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER



      The world''s most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the million-selling What If? and Thing Explainer

      For any task you might want to do, there''s a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally bad that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It''s full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.

      ''How strange science can fix everyday problems'' New Scientist

      ''A brilliant book: clamber in for a wild ride'' Nature



      Trade Review
      Ridiculous, delightful and, damn it, educational * Sunday Times (Culture) *
      A pure delight, a salty-sweet mixture of hard science and bonkers whimsy * Boing Boing *
      Extremely accurate and often amusing answers to everyday issues * Daily Mail *
      Consistently fascinating and entertaining * Wall Street Journal *
      The creator of the popular, extremely excellent webcomic xkcd cleverly illustrates a guide of complicated solutions to simple tasks as common as digging a hole * USA Today *
      [How To] tackles problems from the mundane-such as how to move to a new house-to those that may trouble a mad scientist building her first lava moat. The solutions are often hilariously, and purposefully, absurd. Embedded in these solutions, however, is solid scientific, engineering, and experimental understanding . . . [for] anyone who appreciates science-based solutions to life's problems * Science Magazine *
      A witty, educational examination of 'unusual approaches to common tasks' . . . generously laced with dry humor . . . Munroe's comic stick-figure art is an added bonus. . . . Apart from generating laughter, the book also manages to achieve his serious objective: to get his audience thinking * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
      A gleefully nerdy hypothetical instruction book for armchair scientists of all ages * Booklist *
      An enjoyable treat for fans of logic puzzles, brain hacking, kaizen, mad science, and other forms of mental stimulation * Kirkus Reviews *
      Required reading across the world * New York Times *
      A great deal of fun * The Economist *
      Fascinating * Guardian *

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