A bushel of facts and fabulous photographs make this 24 Karat informational book shine.

The mile gets its name from the term mille passus, whichmeans “a thousand paces.” The abbreviation for pound (lb.) comes from the Latin libra pondo. Feet, pounds, quarts, miles: these are words we use every day. But where did they originate, and what do they actually mean?

Once again, Ken Robbins takes an everyday subject and, through spectacular photographs and straightforward and entertaining text, makes it come alive.