Thing Explainer

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in

Simple Words is a 2015 illustrated non-
fiction book created by Randall Munroe, in
which the author attempts to explain
various complex subjects using only the
1,000 most common English words.
Munroe conceptualized the book in 2012,
when drawing a schematic of the Saturn V
rocket for his webcomic xkcd. Published
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, material
from Thing Explainer has been
incorporated in United States high school
textbooks.
 Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple
Words

Cover

Author Randall Munroe

Country United States

Language English

Subject Science miscellanea

Publisher Houghton Mifflin

Harcourt
Publication date November 24, 2015
Media type Print
Website xkcd.com/thing-
explainer/

Synopsis
In Thing Explainer, Randall Munroe explains
the function and mechanics of 54 subjects
using only the 1,000 most commonly used
words in the English language.[1] The book
covers a wide range of topics, including
pencils ("writing sticks"), cameras ("picture
takers"), and microwave ovens ("food-
heating radio boxes"), airplane engines
("sky boat pushers"), and atom bombs
("machines for burning cities"). Besides
technology, Munroe also explains human
organs and conceptual subjects such as
the periodic table. The book challenges its
readers to figure out what the technical
name is of the subjects it describes, and
was described by Jack Schofield of ZDNet
as a "puzzle game."[2]

The book is illustrated using stick figures

and includes a large number of nerdy
jokes.[1] Peter Gleick wrote for The
Huffington Post that science
communicators often use many
uncommon and long words when
describing complex topics, and that Thing
Explainer explores "how to explain ideas
and offer information in a simpler way."[3]

Conception and development

The concept of Thing Explainer took root in
2012, while Munroe was playing space
simulator Kerbal Space Program.[2] Here,
he was giving the rockets he designed silly
names, such as "Up Goer" and "Skyboat,"
and he began wondering if he could
explain how a rocket ship works using
such simplified language. Munroe drew a
rendering of the Saturn V rocket using
blueprints from NASA's archives and
annotated it with simplified descriptions,
such as labeling the boosters as the spot
where "lots of fire comes out."[4] Munroe
published this drawing in his webcomic
xkcd under the title "Up-Goer Five".[2]

"Up-Goer Five" became the basis of Thing

Explainer. In an interview with The New
York Times, Munroe stated that "the word
limit is fun, because it forces you to think
about it some more."[4] Published by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) on
November 24, 2015, the book was initially
sold for $25 USD.[5] Wired described Thing
Explainer as the followup to Munroe's 2014
book What If?.[6]
HMH began collaborating with Munroe in
2016 to incorporate parts of Thing
Explainer in United States high school
textbooks. 2016 editions of HMH's
chemistry, biology, and physics textbooks
include both old and new diagrams, charts,
and stick figures by Munroe, as part of the
HMH Science Dimensions program.[7][8]

Reception
Reviewing the book, Naomi Alderman of
The Guardian praised the detailed
illustrations in Thing Explainer, describing it
as "a beautifully designed journey through
the intricacies of daily life." Alderman said
that Munroe produced sentences of
"startling clarity" writing the book,
describing ideas precisely and in a
compelling manner. However, she also
noted that some of the passages in the
book are more difficult to comprehend due
to the restriction, which she called "part of
the joke", saying that the book has "a
cryptic crossword feel."[9] Stephen
Shankland of CNET stated that Thing
Explainer is "fun if you enjoy puzzles,
annoying if you just want to learn."
Shankland described the book as "clever,
instructive, [and] thought-provoking," but
stated that the book can come across as
awkward if its reader does not take the
book in the right spirit.[1]

Science communicator Peter Gleick stated

that Munroe's description of the color of
light is one of the best explanations of the
topic he had seen, and that school
teachers could learn from the book.[3]
Blogger Cory Doctorow called the
schematics Munroe used in the book as "a
deceptive, seductive way of presenting the
inscrutable and chaotic innards of our
daily world," and proclaimed delight at
watching the "linguistic backflips" Munroe
goes through to express complex and
technical ideas, while praising how clear
the book can be.[10]

References
1. Shankland, Stephen (2015-12-01).
" 'Thing Explainer': Fun if you enjoy
puzzles, annoying if you just want to
learn" . CNET.
2. Schofield, Jack (2015-12-31). "xkcd in
reverse - Thing Explainer explained" .
ZDNet.
3. Gleick, Peter H. (2015-11-25). " 'Thing
Explainer' - A Review of Randall
Munroe's New Book (Using the Ten
 Hundred Most Common Words)" . The
Huffington Post.
4. Alter, Alexandra (2015-11-24). "Randall
Munroe Explains It All for Us" . The
New York Times.
5. Kastrenakes, Jacob (2015-05-13).
"Xkcd Has a New Book About
Explaining Complicated Subjects in
Simple Ways" . The Verge.
6. Rundle, Michael (2015-11-20). "The
smartphone ('hand computer') as
explained by XKCD's Randall Munroe" .
Wired.
7. Chang, Kenneth (2016-03-22). "Randall
Munroe, XKCD Creator, Goes Back to
 High School" . The New York Times.
8. Jao, Charline (2016-03-23). "XKCD
Creator Randall Munroe Making
Content For High School Textbooks" .
The Mary Sue.
9. Alderman, Naomi (2015-12-17). "Thing
Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple
Words by Randall Munroe – funny,
precise and beautifully designed" . The
Guardian.
10. Doctorow, Cory (2015-11-24). "Randall
"XCKD" Munroe's Thing Explainer:
delightful exploded diagrams labelled
with simple words" . Boing Boing.
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Thing_Explainer&oldid=910555311"

Last edited 1 month ago by Booch

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