Man and Power
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''Man and Power: the Story of Power from the Pyramids to the Atomic Age'' is a
science book A science book is a work of nonfiction, usually written by a scientist, researcher, or professor like Stephen Hawking (''A Brief History of Time''), or sometimes by a non-scientist such as Bill Bryson ('' A Short History of Nearly Everything''). ...
for children by
L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
, illustrated with documents, photographs by Russ Kinne,
Roman Vishniac Roman Vishniac (; russian: link=no, Рома́н Соломо́нович Вишня́к; August 19, 1897 – January 22, 1990) was a Russian-American photographer, best known for capturing on film the culture of Jews in Central and Eastern Euro ...
, and others, and paintings by
Alton S. Tobey Alton Stanley Tobey (November 5, 1914 – January 4, 2005) was an American painter, historical artist, muralist, portraitist, illustrator, and teacher of art. Biography Alton Tobey was born in Middletown, Connecticut on November 5, 1914. At t ...
, first published in hardcover by
Golden Press Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...
in 1961.


Summary

As stated on the cover, the work is a survey of "the story of power from the pyramids to the atomic age." It traces the "progression of man's discovery and utilization of power ... in chapters dealing consecutively with the different sources of power--animal, wind, water, steam, internal combustion, chemical, electrical, and nuclear power, and possible future sources."''The Booklist'', v. 58, no. 4, Oct. 15, p. 138.


Partial Contents

*Manpower *Animal Power *Wind Power *Water Power *Steam Power *Internal-combustion Power *Chemical Power *Electric Power *Nuclear Power


Reception

Thomas Goonan, writing for ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'', rated the book " commended," praising its " cellent illustrations" that "elucidate the text" and " od index. Comparing it to Edward Stoddard's ''The Story of Power'', he judged de Camp's work " re comprehensive and detailed." ''The Science News-Letter'', in its September 23, 1961 issue, listed the book among its "Books of the Week," describing the work as a " lorful panorama depicting and describing man's development of sources of energy to help him build, move around and produce.""Books of the Week" in ''The Science News-Letter'', v. 80, no. 13, September 23, 1961, p. 212. ''
The Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' considered the subject "effectively presented in well-written text and a multitude of supplementary llustrative materials all captioned and most of them in color. Its review repeated Goonan's judgment of the work as "more comprehensive" than Stoddard's. In appraising the work for older children, ''The Booklist'' noted it was " venile in approach but may be useful in high schools, particularly for its illustrations.
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
, writing for '' The Horn Book Magazine'', called it "an exciting book written with great authority and illustrated lavishly," noting that " r young people interested in mechanics and machinery this book is a complete feast." He finds that " e human mind is the hero throughout," with " e personalities of scientists interest ngMr. de Camp only as they affect the scientists as conveyors of new thoughts."
Claire Huchet Bishop Claire Huchet Bishop (30 December 1898 – 13 March 1993) was a Swiss children's writer and librarian. She wrote two Newbery Medal runners-up, ''Pancakes-Paris'' (1947) and ''All Alone (Claire Huchet Bishop novel), All Alone'' (1953), and she w ...
in ''The Commonweal'' praised the book's " cellent approach which makes less of the machines than it does of the minds that created them." Henry W. Hubbard in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that "Mr. de Camp has filled his book with accurate information and absorbing history," but noted that while " e writing is usually good, ... the first chapter, on manpower, suffers from jarring transitions, and the detailed explanations of steam engines and such are occasionally hard to follow." He finds the illustrations "colorful and skillfully chosen. They are, in fact, the high point of the book." Summing up, he states that " virtue of its thoroughness, and its informative illustrations, "Man and Power" should be especially useful in libraries and schools."Hubbard, Henry W. "Harnessing Nature" in ''The New York Times'', November 12, 1961, p. BRA30.


Notes

{{L. Sprague de Camp 1961 children's books Children's non-fiction books Science books Books by L. Sprague de Camp American children's books