The American boys handy book
A nostalgic re-print of a practical manual for a boy's life around the turn of the 20th century. Sadly, many of the activities in this book are out of reach for the modern boy. The manual assumes the reader lives if not in utter wilderness, at least within walking distance of nature; which is no longer the case for most urban or even suburban boys. Also, a lot of the projects for building things assume the boy has access to items which are no longer commonly to be found; wooden barrel lids for one. The book is not for these reasons useless; several activities, such as knot-tying, are still practical skills to learn. In areas that get snow in the winter, the directions for building snow forts and playing winter games are clear and the designs work. As a practical how-to manual or as a social history of childhood in America, the Handy Book is an enjoyable and useful book.
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2recommend
3mentions
3people
2016–2019years
67% recommend33% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Side note, if you are interested in skills that "everybody knew 100 years ago", there are much better books to be had. "The American boys Handy book" comes to mind. Popular Mechanic published a bunch of books back then (pre 1920, don't be confused with some of the latter stuff which isn't as good).
Of course those books assume that there are things like a junk model T in the backyard that you are free to take parts from or otherwise destroy. Just to name one change in circumstances.
- Great list. To add to this, basic (de)construction tools:
- screwdrivers - hammer - clamps / workbench with vice - hand saw - rulers / measuring tape - hand drill (w/ bits) - random assortment of screws, nails, bolts & nuts, glue, wood pieces, dowels, string, wheels, whatever. encourage dumpster diving.
Also, some inspiring literature, like: https://www.amazon.com/American-Boys-Handy-Book-Centennial/d... and/or https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/...
Oh, and it helps to have a partner in crime for encouragement, troubleshooting, etc. (siblings/friends/parents)
These days I'm an engineer, but that's how the passion starts, no doubt about it.
- I was an avid fisherman and hunter in my youth; it's a tradition in my region[s] and in my family. I still support fishing and hunting for the already-stated reasons that it puts one in much more intimate contact with nature [i.e., the natural order of predation / food chain / realities of acquiring food]. When I killed an animal that I had caught, I did feel very sorry and regretful, as most people do, and I think that's part of what makes hunting and fishing beneficial for people.
As Daniel Beard wrote over a hundred years ago in "The American Boys' Handy Book" :
"[the] author must confess that as a man or boy he never killed any animal without a feeling of remorse for what he had done, and it was only after long thought and study upon the subject that he decided to put anything about hunting and trapping in this book. But after mature deliberation the conclusion was reached that other boys must have the same sensations as himself, when a bloody little trophy is stowed away in their game-bag, and that these feelings will prevent the average lad from killing for the sake of killing; for there is no fun in wanton destruction of life for a properly-educated boy..."
As I got older, I involuntarily developed a lot more empathy for nonhuman animals and subsequently went meatless / vegan.
I'd still sooner eat an animal caught by hunting / fishing than one raised in captivity [let alone, as you say, in a 'factory-farming' hellscape] -- by a country mile
p.s. gotta put my favorite joke here as it's apropos :
Q: How can you tell if somebody's vegan?
A: They'll fucking tell you.
