Engineering Materials: An introduction to properties, applications and design by Michael F Ashby and David R H Jones (Butterworth Heinemann, 2005)
Widely adopted around the world, this is a core materials science and mechanical engineering text. It provides a complete introductory course in engineering materials for students with no previous background in the subject.
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Chambers Materials Science and Technology Dictionary edited by Peter Walker (Chambers, 1993)
Covers all kinds of materials, processes and properties.
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The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years edited by John Brockman (Phoenix Press, 2001)
More than 100 scientists make their nominations for the most important invention of the past 2,000 years.
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How Stuff Works by Marshall Brain (John Wiley, 2001)
Guide to the inside workings of common machines such as car engines, computers, microwave ovens, aeroplanes, submarines and many more.
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The New How Things Work: Everyday technology explained by John Langone (National Geographic Books, 2004)
An introduction to the inner workings of everyday technology, from fibre optics to an electric razor.
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Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors by Franklin Day Jones, John A Newell and Holbrook L Horton (Industrial Press, 1977)
Mechanical devices, how they work, and how to use them.
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Practical Electronics for Inventors by Paul Scherz (McGraw-Hill Publishing, 1999)
A step-by-step approach requiring no background in electronics.
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What the World Needs Now: A resource book for daydreamers, frustrated inventors, cranks, efficiency experts, utopians, gadgeteers, tinkerers and just about everybody else by Steven M Johnson (Ten Speed Press, 2001)
A thought-provoking sideways look at the world of the inventor.
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