Randall Munroe is the author of the New York Times bestsellers What If? 2, How To, What If?, and Thing Explainer; the science question-and-answer blog What If?; and the popular web comic xkcd. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to draw comics on the internet full time. He lives in Massachusetts.
“The creator of the popular, extremely excellent and not a little
nerdy webcomic ‘xkcd’ cleverly illustrates a guide of complicated
solutions to simple tasks, thinking up Rube Goldbergian solutions
to tasks as common as digging a hole.” —USA Today
“The mind behind the webcomic xkcd provides a slew of hilariously
overcomplicated instructions for everything from throwing a pool
party to winning an election, bringing his signature stick figures
– and his singular wit – along for the ride. How To is a loving
testament to the power of the human brain to take things to absurd
lengths.” —Glen Weldon, NPR
“[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, but Rube
Goldberg–esque, solutions to life’s problems.” —Science
Magazine
“How To is a pure delight, a salty-sweet mixture of hard science
and bonkers whimsy.” —BoingBoing
“A brilliant provocation of a book: clamber in for a wild ride.”
—Nature
“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
“An enjoyable treat for fans of logic puzzles, brain hacking,
kaizen, mad science, and other forms of mental stimulation.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Munroe (creator of the webcomic xkcd; What If?; Thing Explainer)
creates another fun series of questions and answers that explore
forces, properties, and natural phenomena through pop-culture
scenarios . . . With illustrated formulas that humorously explain
the science behind Munroe’s conjectures, this book is sure to
entertain and educate thinkers from high school on up.” —Library
Journal
“How To is a gleefully nerdy hypothetical instruction book for
armchair scientists of all ages.” —Booklist
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