The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It [Paperback]

Daniel Carter Beard (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Each summer, millions of children complain, "There's nothing to do." Originally published in 1888, The American Boy's Handy Book resoundingly challenges this age-old dilemma by providing a huge number of ideas for fun and instructional projects for young boys. Everything from camping and kite building to raising dogs and building boats is detailed for the would-be adventurer and do-it your-selfer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

At first glance, this republication of a more than 100-year-old book is simply an artifact of immense nostalgic charm.... The Handy Book was then - and now again is - a brim-full collection of guidance on an immensity of subjects, ranging from knot tying to boat-making, to outdoor survival without appropriate gear. Sure there have been developments and discoveries since, of equipment and techniques. But it's astonishing how up to date much of the splendid stuff is." (Michael Pakenham The "Baltimore" Sun )

Over 100 years after its original publication, The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It is still engaging the imaginations of children and adults. (Family News )

Over 100 years after its original publication, The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It is still engaging the imaginations of children and adults. (Family News )

Using the original type and illustrations, The American Boy's Handy Book gives step-by-step instructions for a number of projects, many of which require adult supervision. (Coastal Family )

Using the original type and illustrations, The American Boy's Handy Book gives step-by-step instructions for a number of projects, many of which require adult supervision. (Coastal Family )

This paperback includes many oldies but goodies - in fact it was first published in 1888! This guide was written by Daniel Carter Beard.... He had a love of making things and spending time outdoors, and he passed along his knowledge in this book. (Charlotte Parent )

There's always something fun for your boys to do in The American Boy's Handy Book. Activities include everything from camping without a tent to building boats. (Puget Sound Parent )

There's always something fun for your boys to do in The American Boy's Handy Book. Activities include everything from camping without a tent to building boats. (Puget Sound Parent )

The do-it-yourself projects are arranged by season Spring begins with elaborate kite building and goes on to fishing and aquariums. Summer activities include knots, boat building, homemade hunting apparatus and camp craft. (Mike Maza Patriot-News )

Delightful. (New Hampshire Sunday News )

Timeless. (Richard C. Debold Middletown Press )

About the Author

Daniel Carter Beard was the first National Commissioner and Chairman of the Court of Honor in the Boy Scouts of America as well as president of the Camp Fire Girls Club.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Derrydale Press (April 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586670654
• ISBN-13: 978-1586670658
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book for Boys (and Girls)!, February 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It, Centennial Edition (Paperback)

I had a copy of this as a kid and read and re-read it to the point that the cover was more tape than original material. A wonderful guide to doing things yourself, and a welcome antidote to today's passive consumer paradigm of childhood. A fair number of the materials called for are hard if not impossible to find today, but the spirit of adaptation and improvisation that imbues this book will inspire the reader to find substitutes. Some parents may suspect the fair number of projectile- launching devices described, but the book is infinitely less violent than most child-oriented television shows and never fails to stress safety. My friends and I learned a lot of practical mechanics and crafting skills, developed our hand-eye coordination, and never shot anything more fragile than a plastic figure. We did a heck of a lot more damage to each other and our environment playing soccer and broomstick polo. My own future children will unquestionably have a copy of _The American Boy's Handy Book_ when they're old enough.

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars retro fun for active kids, August 24, 2004

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It, Centennial Edition (Paperback)

Filled with black & white illustrations and schematics, this guide for American boys, originally published in 1882, is organized by season and is chock-full of instructions, suggestions and advice about kites, fishing, knots, telescopes, tents, soap bubbles, animals, snowball warfare, puppets, kaleidoscopes, whirligigs, costumes, decoys--even fireworks!! The emphasis is on building things yourself, and to that end it is an extremely valuable handbook for our increasingly passive society. There are definitely things here that will give you pause or that are culturally dated -- like making a blow gun, trapping and raising wild animals and taxidermy at home -- but that is where parenting comes in, and all-in-all I would say this is a valuable and exciting book for kids, filled with pragmatic insights and a fun historical document as well. Snowball war, anyone?

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, highly recommended!, May 19, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It (Paperback)

This book was originally published in New York City, in 1890. It is the work of Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941), a fun-loving boy-at-heart, who organized a boy's organization (the Society of the Sons of Daniel Boone) and was later instrumental in the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America. This book is a wonderful collection of projects that a boy can make, everything from kite making and fishing to tying knots and camping. Sound familiar?

Overall, I found the projects to be quite interesting. Some of them are a little out of step with modern sensibilities, such as putting broken glass onto kites to make "war kites," or making blowguns. But, that said, this is a great book with a lot of interesting projects, one that I am very glad that I got. So, if you have a young boy, and are interested in Scouting, or just plum making things, then this book is for you. My son and I highly recommend it to you!