What's a good book to buy that shows how common everyday items work?

Marshall Brain’s How Stuff Works and More How Stuff Works.

I had this book The Way Things Work when I was a kid and it had lessons on everything from a toaster to the Space Shuttle.

Also, they have a website called How Stuff Works, it’s exactly what you’re looking for.

@Mamradpivo That’s funny, because I also had a book called The Way Things Work when I was a kid—it’s still on my shelf! Translated from German (I now learn, after all these decades, having looked at the copyright page to see if it’s the same book you mention), it was published in the US in 1967 (when I was a teen) & Vol.2 in 1971. Authorship is attributed only on the copyright page—not on the cover, the dust jacket, or the title page.