From Tinkering to Torquing: A Beginner's Guide to Tractors and Tools
In a just and proper world,From Tinkering to Torquingwould be a classic for adults and youth alike. How can reading about murder, madness, and mayhem compare to the unadulterated joy of learning about motors, manifolds, and mankind's endless battle with rust? Welsch, author ofOld Tractors and the Men Who Love Them(1995) andLove, Sex, and Tractors(2000), returns to his favorite subject. These anecdotal reflections venture far from the realm of a practical maintenance manual, but even so, Welsch does an admirable job of providing beginners through gearheads with detailed information about the key components of tractors and their tools. Beginning with the motor (there are no engines in tractors) and working through the major mechanical and electrical systems, Welsch describes in a neighborly fashion the pieces of a tractor and how they fit and work together. Along the way, the story is sprinkled with Welsch's trademark witticisms, as he delves into such patently nonmechanical domains as marital harmony, public speaking, high finance, and Zen. A must for rural libraries and surprisingly entertaining for readers everywhere.Mark CoeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved