Trying to find/identify an *old* book on things for kids to do...

[pillacd]

The book I'm trying to dredge up from the dim recesses of my memory is similar to Popular Mechanics "Boy Mechanic", but not quite the same. As I recall, the book was published in the early 1900's.

The book contained descriptions similar to the "Boy Mechanic" on how to make things/toys, some of which by today's standards would be considered hideously dangerous (like the submarine that used hyrdocholoric acid to generate the gas that gave it bouyancy). There was mild stuff as well, like using a barrel hoop and a stick as a rolling toy.

I thought I saw it once as either a set of HTML pages or an ebook, but it may have been a hard copy.

Does this sound familiar to any one? I can't remember the title, so I'm having trouble locating any reference to the book online.

[RainingLemur]

Only thing I've been able to find is the Popular Mechanics stuff. One of which is free at Gutenberg Press.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12655

[toomanybooks]

Is it the American Boys Handy Book?

http://www.inquiry.net/traditional/beard/abhb/index.htm

[pillacd]

Originally Posted by toomanybooks

Is it the American Boys Handy Book?

http://www.inquiry.net/traditional/beard/abhb/index.htm

That's not it, but it looks interesting. Thanks.

[pillacd]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

Only thing I've been able to find is the Popular Mechanics stuff. One of which is free at Gutenberg Press.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12655

The Boy Mechanic is what I've found before. It's close to what I was looking for, but not quite what I remember. Thanks.

[remcdonald]

OK I couldn't help doing some digging it's the bookstore employee in me we get real good at this after the fourth of fifth customer asks for the red book you know it's got a red cover and it's about that guy don't you like read books and stuff. Anyhow your comment reminded me of Conn Iggluden's Dangerous Book for Boys (which I have wholeheartedly reccomended to many parents since I believe a large part of any good boy's upbringing is learning how to blow stuff up, burn stuff, and generally cause mayhem on a small scale ). Anyhow a quick wikipedia search of that book turned up some possible alternatives from the time frame you are thinking of but they were already suggested so I did a wider google search and came across this book Handicraft for Handy Boys http://www.archive.org/stream/handic...0hall_djvu.txt which seemed like a plausible choice. I'll keep looking though the game is afoot now.

[pillacd]

Originally Posted by remcdonald

... your comment reminded me of Conn Iggluden's Dangerous Book for Boys (which I have wholeheartedly reccomended to many parents since I believe a large part of any good boy's upbringing is learning how to blow stuff up, burn stuff, and generally cause mayhem on a small scale ). ... I did a wider google search and came across this book Handicraft for Handy Boys http://www.archive.org/stream/handic...0hall_djvu.txt which seemed like a plausible choice. I'll keep looking though the game is afoot now.

That doesn't look like it, but it does reaffirm that I did not learn enough stuff as a kid.

Oh, and you've hit upon my reason for the search - I want something more comprehensive than currently published materials to use in educating my grandsons. I will have to strip out the really dangerous stuff, of course, if I don't want their mother & grandmother to put me in traction.

The responses have been great - I've already got a couple of new sources I didn't know about. Thanks to all.