FASTER THAN A JET, BIGGER THAN A WHALE

Entranced by statistics? This book is for you.

Minoglio covers Earth and outer space, geography, biology, and human-made structures, along with a grab bag of brain-bending cross-category comparisons. Figures and astonishing facts involving measurements abound, but readers will also find brief explanations, like the difference between tidal waves caused by earthquakes and those caused by landslides. With inventive illustrations from Lord, Minoglio explains which lakes are biggest by surface area and which by volume and why mountain heights vary (it all depends on where they’re measured from). An irresistible spread condenses Earth’s history into 12 hours: Humans arrive in the final two seconds. Other stats involve the human body and population density. In a section devoted to animals, the author compares and contrasts various species on metrics such as size, speed, and endurance records: Which creature can jump the highest? Which can dive underwater the farthest and longest? The author also considers the longest railways, roads, and bridges and the largest buildings and metropolises. A final spread measures pollution and environmental threats. Imperial and metric units are both provided. Laudably, Minoglio chooses to make comparisons with everyday objects; the Goliath birdeater tarantula is “bigger than your plate and almost as heavy as a pizza,” for instance. Readers will need to be familiar with multiplication to grasp some size correlations. The book’s realistic, colorful graphics in well-designed layouts are creative, attractive, and enlightening.

Everything is relative in this numerically fascinating presentation of records of every kind.