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No book is perfect, however, and the one flaw with this one is the fact that the apparent lack of illustrations may scare away those already intimidated by the workings of the hardware around their homes. But fear not because the author has gone into excellent written details regarding the fixing of all those troublesome gadgets. Before long, you will realize that the author has purposefully left out the illustrations to allow the reader to think critically and solve the problem in the most effective manner, unique to the situation at hand.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of the fixings around the house, your best friend will be your troubleshooting skills. That is, the five logical steps of troubleshooting *any* hardware such as a faulty dryer to a stubborn computer goes as follows:

1.Source of Power
2.Power Controls
3.Power Unit
4.Power Train
5.Use of Power

All the power to you!


1996 Edition   January 12, 2003
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Explains the logic of troubleshooting and repair with 300 illustrations. Helps you talk to hardware store clerks and avoid wasting money on unnecessary items by buying the proper equipment.


All words, few pictures   December 17, 2002
 12 out of 16 found this review helpful

This book is a big disappointment. Pages and pages and pages of text. Precious few photos or illustraions. No "Step 1 illustration, Step 2 illustration, Step 3 illustration..." I ordered three of this book for my sons-in-laws. I sent them all back and got the Reader's Digest "Fix it Yourself" instead. More expensive but A) updated recently, and b) profusly illustrated. Very simple to follow. Don't waste your time or money on this wordy loser.


Great for fixing older homes and contents   December 14, 2000
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

If you're the type who likes to keep old things (including houses) until they faqll apart, this book is great. It shows with diagrams how to fix everything from old walls to old toasters. It's been a bible in our family and I gave it to my sons when they moved out.


A first alternative to throwing it away or calling in a   August 30, 2000
 21 out of 23 found this review helpful

professional. However, the biggest pitfall of this book is it's dated. At best, I think the book is useful for when you're (a) desperate or (b) about to throw a broken thing away. For example, if your toaster oven breaks, odds are this will provide enough general information to convince you it's OK to take it apart and fish around, then call the manufacturer (e.g., Black & Decker is great about this) and order replacement parts.

On the other hand, as many appliances are solid-state (e.g., no tubes) AND individual parts are difficult to procure if the manufacturer doesn't support this. [In 1977, when the book was published, you could go to your local Radio Shack and buy a 100 ohm 1/4 watt resistor. It's increasingly difficult to find such things as the business models have changed to the more lucrative cell phones.)

This is a useful book if you want a general idea of how common things work and aren't afraid to use a screwdriver. It's not going to be as helpful as it was 20 years ago, however.