Booklahoma was this weekend in a neighboring town, and as usual, I made a great haul. This particular find is one of the coolest books I’ve ever seen. This is What’s What – A Visual Glossary of the Physical World, and it is downright amazing. Just about every object you can think of is in here, all thoroughly labeled. I barely glanced through it at the actual event, but I suspected I’d found gold. Once I got it home and had my chance to peruse, I knew I had it. These scant few photos hardly scratch the surface of the items covered in this book. It’s exciting to think of all the possible ways someone could use it. ESL tutors and foreign exchange students might find it handy. Certainly, I believe writers would find it handy. I even think an alien that needed to learn about us quick would find it helpful. See what I’m getting at, here? I know some people are thinking I can look up any of these things online and find the same information, and they would be right. But here’s the difference for me: with this book I can go to the correct page, and then leave it open next to me on the desk. It never times out. It never needs to refresh. It never scrolls weird or refuses to go full screen. I don’t have to toggle between tabs or remember which file I stuck it in. It’s right there, ready to go, steady as a rock. This particular revised edition was published in 1990, updated from the original publication in 1981. It does indeed include technology such as computers and CD players, which I consider a treasure trove of information for any story I might write set in those time frames. I paid ten dollars for a Booklahoma bag and walked out with twenty-one books. I would happily have paid ten dollars for just this book. It’s one of the coolest books I’ve ever owned.
