Pocket Ref is a notedly comprehensive, all-purpose pocket-sized reference book/handbook and how-to guide containing various tips, tables, maps, formulas, constants and conversions by Thomas J. Glover. It is published by Sequoia Publishing Inc. and is currently in its fourth edition at 864 pages in length, released in late 2010.
It contains references, tables, and instructional guides on such varied subjects as automotive repair; carpentry and construction; chemistry and physics; computers; physical, chemical, and mathematical constants; electronics; money and measurement conversions; advanced first aid; glue, solvents, paints, and finishes; hardware; mine, mill, and aggregate; plumbing; zip codes; rope, cable, and knots; steel and metals; surveying and mapping; and more.
Described as an "oracle of all things DIY," the Pocket Ref has been prominently featured on the television series MythBusters. In the "Shop 'till You Drop" special, Adam Savage noted that "nearly everyone" had asked him about the little black book.
In addition to book stores and online, the Pocket Ref is available at many hardware stores.
Although the Pocket Ref is printed on very thin paper, its page count is still limited by the publisher's desire for it to fit in a standard shirt pocket, so a more comprehensive work, at 1280 pages, DeskRef, has been published.
Glover is also the author of Pocket PC Ref, Deskref, Handyman In-Your-Pocket, Pocket Do It Yourself Source, Measure for Measure and Tech Ref.
The Pocket Ref is often imprinted with the name of a hardware store or other third party on its front cover.
Comparable books would be AutoRef by Glover's sometime-coauthor Richard A. Young and Pocket Partner "a comprehensive collection of vital information for law enforcement personnel" by Dennis Evers.