Know It All Energy

I love the books in these series. It makes it very easy to take in a lot of complex information.

Many people enjoy reading for information but find it difficult to get through nonfiction books due to lack of time. For such people the Know-It all book series from Wellfleet Press is ideal.  Each topic is divided into 50, two-page chapters , including a summary sentence, a full-color illustration and a quote from a prominent expert. 
   The new volume on energy, edited by Brian Clegg is a good example of the series’ format. Energy is a broad subject and Know-It All Energy describes, aspects as diverse as photosynthesis, thermodynamics, renewable energy sources, eternal and internal combustion engines, dark energy and the ultimate fate of the universe. 
   There are limitations with a format like this.  Restricting each chapter to two pages means details are sacrificed.   For example, the chapter on steam turbines explains why they are the dominant source of electric power generation, but does not really show how they work.  In such cases, a diagram would be preferable to the pop art-inspired illustrations that appear in each chapter.  Nevertheless, Know-It All Energy is a good introduction to a broad and complex subject. 
   These short (less than 200 page) volumes would make ideal study guides for students needing to cram for a test. Scanning the one-sentence summaries at the start of each chapter should  provide a decent review of  the  topic.

Great introduction to energy

Much like the chemistry, biology, and inventions books in this series, the contributors and editors created a fun, easy to read introduction to physics, energy more specifically.  All the explanations are clear and written in a conversational tone. And each entry is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about this area of physics.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

Much of Know-It-All Energy is excellent. But key areas give a totally incorrect impression of the state of the planet and the renewable energies that are set to play key roles in its future.

The book itself is beautifully produced and excellently laid out. Each of the 50 topics has its own double-page spread. The main text per topic is clear and concise, and would I believe be understandable by anyone not having studied physics to any level. For those who have, there is still plenty of meat.

Chapters cover The Basics, Natural Energy, Storing Energy, Transmitting Energy, Converting Energy, Going Green, and Energy & Entropy. Each chapter has its own useful glossary. Through its strong focus on easily accessible “chunks” of information, this is a book that can be easily picked up and flicked through in brief moments.

Unfortunately, the content of six of the 50 topics left me disappointed. For a book written in 2017 on energy, to say nothing on the energy transition seems a remarkable omission. There’s nothing on peak energy. Nothing about decarbonization of energy production. Nor on a low carbon economy, climate change or the Paris Agreement.

The Introduction does state that “we have become aware of the impact our energy habits are having on the planet” but does not explain what these are. It mysteriously says that “green mechanisms” are necessary to minimize that effect.

The overall impression given by the book is that green technologies are far from cost-efficient, their deployment is unsure, but thankfully coal and oil are still around and are actually not at all that bad.

In these days of climate change and energy transition to renewables, such an incorrect emphasis is unfortunately misleading.

All of the Know-It-All series of books are excellent!  Each of them gives a synopsis of the most important things to know on the topic in a brief but well-laid-out manner, and Energy is no exception!  These books are a good introduction or a good review, as well as a starting place for discovering which topics you'd like to learn more about afterwards -- and then you can get a more in-depth book on just that topic.

I'd said it many time, this collection is a must read for people who want to know everything on anything. This book is no different. Pick your subject and choose a book in this series!!

#KnowItAllEnergy #NetGalley #Sciences #Physics #Sustainable  #Future #KnowItAll

Once more, the Know It All series are able to delight the reader. This is a comprehensible and complete collection about the sources of energy and the general scientific concept and definitions that can be intended to general public specially to college and university students.