cover image Stephen Biesty's Incredible Explosions

Stephen Biesty's Incredible Explosions

Richard Platt, Stephen Biesty. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), $19.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-7894-1024-5

Biesty (Incredible Cross-Sections) is far too modest--""incredible"" hardly does his books justice. In this, his most ambitious work to date, readers will once again find themselves riveted as he dissects a dozen diverse places and things, from a windmill to Venice to the Grand Canyon and more. In addition to the cross-section illustrations for which he is so well known, here he also ""explodes"" many of the features: the human body, for instance, is shown with the skin separated from the fatty tissue, from the muscle, the tendons, the veins, the bones, and so on. This technique makes for tremendously complex illustrations--Biesty's forte. Painstakingly crafted and filled with mind-boggling detail, his artwork invites close, repeated viewing; combined with Platt's brisk text, it is guaranteed to both educate and entertain. Biesty's a marvel, and his ""explosions"" could very well ignite a passion for learning. All ages. (Sept.)