Male Body: An Owner's Manual

Described in the introduction as a health book for men written ""like an owner's manual for a car or computer,"" this valuable compilation is, however, no mere technical primer. The authors, who are Rodale writers, use the best elements from Men's Health magazine-including straight-shooting descriptions, a wry sense of humor and a high estimation of their audience's intelligence-to cover physiological systems (body as ""machine""), body parts (an alphabetically arranged maintenance guide) and fitness. The first section, ""Maximizing Your Machine,"" is a well-written guide to health topics including body shape, energy, stress, sex, sports injuries and sleep. The fitness guide suggests exercises for basic muscle groups. The heart of this volume beats in the 300-plus pages on ""Body Maintenance,"" covering more than 95 separate parts of the male body machine. Illustrated alphabetical entries (from the Achilles tendon to wrists) fulfill its authors' intention to show men ""how to use your machine properly; how to maintain it; how to troubleshoot problems."" The volume offers at least two helpful hints per page and prose that's a pleasure to read. When was the last time you could say that about a transmission repair manual? (Nov.)