Ingenious Mechanisms: Vol I: Volume 1

If you are a mechanical engineer, working in the area of mechanisms and dynamics of machinery, and want to learn about the evolution of mechanisms over 19th-20th century, this is then a very informative volume for you indeed.

This set of book is essential reading for all engineers - so many ideas are not new !!

These books are very comprehensive. There are lots of multi-component mechanisms described in great detail for mechanically inclined people. The machines depicted are of an historical nature. I don't see this as a shortcoming, however. Mechanisms of the sort found in these volumes were state-of-the-art at one time. There were no electronic sensors and computer controls at the turn of the last century. Everything had to work -- and had to work mechanically. The mechanisms explained in these volumes are a testament to a certain real-world ingenuity that most of us can't comprehend until we read books like these.

When the UPS man delivered this I was shocked at how huge it is! Four big volumes packed with the most incredible and interesting mechanisms in the world. I have read the first book from cover to cover and I have thumbed through the rest. I love this kind of stuff so these are the perfect books for me. If you are also into cool mechanical contraptions, you will also love these books!

This set of 4 volumes are chock-full of information on various mechanical devices, and how they work. The text explains how each device works, along with illustrations that point out what each part does in the mechanism. Since the all of the mechanisms are from real-world applications, the designs are proven. The organization of the 4 volumes are similar, for example: Cams & Special Cam Designs/Intermittent Motions.../Tripping or Stopping Mechanisms/Feeding Mechanisms/Etc. Also, the fact that the text is broken into 4 volumes, Its very convienient to browse through. I recommend this set to the beginner, up to the advanced application engineer, because most people don't have the time to re-invent the wheel.