# Blast from the Past: How & Why Wonder Books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360 "2009-05-23T00:30:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/1 "2009-05-23T00:30:54Z")
I was surfing the web for old books and stumbled upon these children’s science books from my youth. Oh my, I had a dozen of these they really bring back memories. Did anyone else read any of these and what were your impressions. [http://members.optusnet.com.au/intabits/HowAndWhy.htm](http://members.optusnet.com.au/intabits/HowAndWhy.htm) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/2 "2009-05-23T00:45:13Z")
I totally forgot about these! I had dozens, '60s editions. Read the things till the letters fell off the page. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/3 "2009-05-23T00:45:16Z")
At this point I think of them as the Reader’s Digest of legit educational books, but to be clear: I fucking loved those books. My mom musta bought me 2 - 3 dozen of them and I memorized them. I can draw a straight line from them to the Straight Dope. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/4 "2009-05-23T01:20:32Z")
Oh. My. _God._ I freakin’ adored these!!! I had the 1960s versions of: #5001 (Dinosaurs), #5003 (Electricity), and #5004 (Rocks). Maybe some more but none of the others look familiar. They must’ve been inherited from my oldest sister (who’s ten years my senior), because I wasn’t really reading until around 1969/70. But in looking over the titles, I have a dumb question: What in heaven’s name is _Ballet_ doing there?! (I’m not gonna say anything about the _Old Testament_, because at least that’s sorta kinda history – well, at least, maybe the angle was looking for some kind of archeological proof that the OT events occured.) But ballet? I’d understand if they’d already published like 30 editions and were running out of ideas, but the ballet book came before books on chemistry, light, sound, robots… What an odd decision. Now did anyone of the same age group have the Time/Life series on science? My favorite was on Sight/Vision/Light. Started my interest in optical illusions, that did. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/5 "2009-05-23T01:28:17Z")
We also had the Time/Life books. All over the place. I had a real thing for any kind of reference/science/general info books. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/6 "2009-05-23T03:03:36Z")
Wow! These bring back memories. I know I had 5004 Rocks and Minerals, 5013 The Human Body, 5016 The Microscope, 5030 Ants and Bees, 5037 Butterflies and Moths, and 5054 Oceanography. A lot more look very familiar. I haven’t thought about these in decades. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/7 "2009-05-23T04:24:41Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > We also had the Time/Life books. All over the place. I had a real thing for any kind of reference/science/general info books. Heh. Me too. Right now I’m looking at my bookshelves, where the entire ridiculously outdated World Book Encyclopedia from 1963 proudly sits. I used to read each volume cover to cover as a kid. For that matter, I also have my family’s old globe from the 1950s. It’s amazing the changes that time has wrought on the earth, just as far as country/territory names and so on. Unfortuantely, I don’t have any of the _How and Why_ books. ☹ But thank you very much, **Icerigger** , for reminding us of them! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/8 "2009-05-23T04:49:09Z")
Oh yeah! The How and Why books were a formative part of my childhood. I definitely remember Dinosaurs, Insects, Reptiles & Amphibians, Rocks & Minerals, and Ants & Bees. Primitive Man and Prehistoric Mammals look familiar, and I must have had Butterflies & Moths, too, but I don’t recognize the cover. Maybe some others. The back covers were the second version shown (“Classic”). ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/9 "2009-05-23T05:17:51Z")
I definitely had the Dinosaur book and the Castles book. I think I had the Robots and electronic brains book too, or at least something similar. Here’s a page that I remember. [![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sGYULzoQCgA/R0uA72wWZ2I/AAAAAAAABL8/daXmzto9Acw/s1600-h/quasar.jpg) ](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sGYULzoQCgA/R0uA72wWZ2I/AAAAAAAABL8/daXmzto9Acw/s1600-h/quasar.jpg) I think my sister had the horses book. The covers of Primitive Man and Wild animals seem to ring a bell. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/10 "2009-05-23T05:32:25Z")
The How and Why books were my bible as a youngster. WoW! Thanks for the memory! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/11 "2009-05-23T12:37:10Z")
Oh, yes, I loved those books! They had a spot on my bookshelf right next to the [Golden Book Encyclopedias](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Book_Encyclopedia), which arrived at the local supermarket, one volume per week. How many little kids look forward eagerly to grocery shopping?! The volume titles of the GBE contained some wonderful unintentional (?) humor. “Navy to Parasites?” Only with lack of maintenance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/12 "2009-05-23T13:02:37Z")
I had a few too (70’s). The ones that I had were read and re-read. I particularly remember _The First World War_ and _Electronics_. I probably also had _Science Experiments_ and _Robots and Electronic Brains_. Some of the covers are familiar from being displayed within the books or on the back cover, if I recall. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/13 "2009-05-23T13:16:46Z")
Dinpsaurs, Rocks and Minerals, Insects, Reptiles, Sea Shells, Primitive Man, Butterflies and Moths, Magnets and Magnetism, Airplanes and the Story of Flight, and Fossils. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/14 "2009-05-23T13:44:34Z")
OMG… I had forgotten about these! WHat a walk down memory lane! I had: Dinosaurs Insects Reptiles Our Earth Horses Wild Animals Ants & Bees Dogs Prehistoric Mammals Butterflies & Moths Winning of the West Anyone else remember Little Big Books? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/15 "2009-05-23T14:45:35Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > OMG… I had forgotten about these! WHat a walk down memory lane! I had: > > Dinosaurs > Insects > Reptiles > Our Earth > Horses > Wild Animals > Ants & Bees > Dogs > Prehistoric Mammals > Butterflies & Moths > Winning of the West > > Anyone else remember Little Big Books? I remember the LBB name & I know I had some, but I don’t recall what I had. I had lots of the H&W books! Oh, to have those & my copies of Creepy, Eerie, Famous Monsters & Classics Illustrated with covers & pages intact! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/16 "2009-05-23T22:57:24Z")
I had several of these. My aunt gave me **Dinosaurs** for my birthday when I was very little. The ones I had (or had read) were: \*\*Dinosaurs Rocks and Minerals Seashells Primitive Man Prehistoric Mammals Science Experiments Robots and Electronic Brains Musgrooms Ferns and Mosses \*\* My library had _hard-bound_ editions of these in the children’s section. I still remember from the Robots and Electronic Brains one the acronym for a (proposed?) whale-tracjing robot called **MOBY-DIC** , which stood for _Motorized Observational Bio-telemetry Yacht Data Integration and Control_. It was my introduction to the Totured Acronym Syndrome. There was _another_ series of such books for kids that was obviously trying to tap into the How and Why market – the **Saalfield Science Series**. They were the same size and format. I had their books on Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Man [http://mysite.verizon.net/markcrowell/saalfield.html](http://mysite.verizon.net/markcrowell/saalfield.html) Tom Weller’s excellent humor books, **Science Made Stupid** and **Cvltvre Made Stupid** , are parodies clearly modeled on the How and Why series. I strong;ly recommend both: > **[Science Made Stupid: Weller, Tom: 9780395366462: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Science-Made-Stupid-Tom-Weller/dp/0395366461)** > > Science Made Stupid \[Weller, Tom\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Science Made Stupid > **[Amazon.com: Culture Made Stupid (Cvltvre Made Stvpid): 9780395404614: Weller,...](https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Made-Stupid-Cvltvre-Stvpid/dp/0395404614)** > > Amazon.com: Culture Made Stupid (Cvltvre Made Stvpid): 9780395404614: Weller, Tom: Books > **[Science Made Stupid](https://www.besse.at/sms/smsintro.html)** > [@](#): > > Anyone else remember Little Big Books? I still have mine (although they predate me by at least 30 years). James lileks has been making fun of them at his site, [www.lileks.com](http://www.lileks.com) ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/17 "2009-05-23T23:11:59Z")
I still have this little gem as well. Long live George Zaffo. [http://i2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/195/338/56/Book\_Airplanes\_Trucks\_Trains\_Fire\_Engines.jpg](http://i2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/195/338/56/Book_Airplanes_Trucks_Trains_Fire_Engines.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/18 "2009-05-24T00:08:28Z")
[http://cgi.ebay.com/1967-Lassie-Adventure-In-Alaska-Small-Big-Little-Book\_W0QQitemZ200335665231QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian\_Collectible?hash=item2ea4efa84f&\_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&\_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50](http://cgi.ebay.com/1967-Lassie-Adventure-In-Alaska-Small-Big-Little-Book_W0QQitemZ200335665231QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian_Collectible?hash=item2ea4efa84f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) This is the Little Big Book I remember reading over and over and over… I don’t remember much about the story other than an earthquake and a wloverine… but as soon as I saw the cover, I remembered the book. Ah, to be young with no worries again. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/19 "2009-05-24T00:33:02Z")
> [@choie](#): > > But in looking over the titles, I have a dumb question: What in heaven’s name is _Ballet_ doing there?! (I’m not gonna say anything about the _Old Testament_, because at least that’s sorta kinda history – well, at least, maybe the angle was looking for some kind of archeological proof that the OT events occured.) But ballet? I’d understand if they’d already published like 30 editions and were running out of ideas, but the ballet book came before books on chemistry, light, sound, robots… What an odd decision. For that matter, how did _Florence Nightingale_ get her own book when all of the Famous Scientists have to share? That must have been a slim volume. ---
**Author:** ![bink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360/20 "2009-05-25T21:04:16Z")
I love the typography of the titles. I wonder why they didn’t use it for either of the ecology books? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blast-from-the-past-how-why-wonder-books/497360.md?page=2)