The Ultimate Tool Book by Popular Mechanics has earned that title. While the book is not exhaustive, it focuses on the tools you are most likely to use in your basic projects and gives advice on how to manage them. When I say manage I mean to say that the book gives advice on what to buy, the price range to look for, little tips on maintenance, and how best to use each tool. The book provides a short history of the tool if it is known along with who invented it.

The book focuses on safety first. This is a great idea since a lot of the tools can cause irreparable damage. The format is made up of four major sections with the tools organized into categories. So you have Construction tools, Woodworking Tools, Landscaping Tools, and Mechanical Tools. Each section is further organized alphabetically making the tool easy to find. At the end of each category is a DIY project you can do with the tools that were described.

Each entry has an image of the tool in question on one page and a description on the facing page. Each category has an individual table of contents. At the end of the book is an index. There isn’t really much else to say about it. ( )