A parts book or parts catalogue is a book published by manufacturers which contains the part numbers and other relevant data for their products or parts thereof.
Parts books were often also issued as microfiche, though this has fallen out of favour. Now, many manufacturers offer this information digitally in an electronic parts catalogue (EPC). This can be locally installed software, or a centrally hosted web application. Usually, an EPC enables the user to virtually disassemble the product into its components to identify the required part(s).
In the automotive industry, EPC's are also able to access specific vehicle information, usually through an online look-up of the Vehicle Identification Number. This will identify specific models, allowing the user to correctly identify the required part and its relevant part number.
Famous quotes containing the words parts and/or book:
“Language is a living thing. We can feel it changing. Parts of it become old: they drop off and are forgotten. New pieces bud out, spread into leaves, and become big branches, proliferating.”
—Gilbert Highet (1906–1978)
“The passion to condense from book to book
Unbroken wisdom in a single look,
Though we know well that when this fix the head,
The mind’s immortal, but the man is dead.”
—Yvor Winters (1900–1968)