How Do They Do That?

How do they make mirrors? How do sword swallowers swallow swords? How does a Polaroid picture develop in broad daylight? How do camels go without water? How do scientists splice genes, and how do pyrotechnicians create spectacular fireworks? This book sets out to answer questions like these, drawn from science, the arts, nature, and technology.

It is meant for readers at any level of curiosity, from the mildly interested to the relentless questioner. You can dip in for a few minutes or settle in for a few hours. Along the way you learn that it is neither hocus-pocus that gets a whole pear into a bottle of pear brandy nor sorcery that holds up a suspension bridge, and the book explains what is really going on.

Caroline Sutton, a graduate of Wesleyan University, lives in New York City, where she writes and edits for the Hilltown Press.