The American Boy's Handy Book: Turn-of-the-Century Classic of Crafts and Activities

by Daniel Carter Beard

As timely as it is timeless, this instructive book has captured the interest and imagination of boys for well over a century. Chapters on kite flying and fishing, rigging and sailing small boats, camping out without a tent, knot-tying for mountain climbing and other activities, as well as training dogs, raising wild birds, and other projects will appeal as much to today's youngsters as they did to children in the late 1800s. This classic includes scores of projects that will keep children occupied all year long ― from sculpting snowmen and making sleds to stocking aquariums and performing puppet shows. Many of these enterprises have also been known to compete effectively with TV and video games! Best of all, the projects have the power to inspire the imagination and help youngsters master new skills and experience the satisfaction of personal accomplishment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Childrens, Survival, Outdoors, History, Parenting

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

In 1905, writer and illustrator Daniel Carter Beard, known as "Dan," founded the sons of Daniel Boone, who in 1910 merged with the newly formed Boy Scouts of America.

"Uncle Dan" Beard, author, led youth and society later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift for my 9 yr old boy on his birthday from my very great friend. We love receiving books as gifts (maybe me more than him) and this was a fun book we read through together. He, of course, thought it was very old-fashioned and is probably not going to be making homemade boats or elder guns but I thought it was fascinating that fathers and sons could or did bond like this. My husband is not a maker of sorts. He gets annoyed very quickly and doesn't have this sort of patience but I don't know if my son would want to make anything. He is a very athletic boy and very competitive with everyone even himself so if he made a mistake he would probably be angry and try to quit. We are not quitters here!

It seems like such a fun, simple time. Learning TO DO things even if one never does this instead of all this in your face technology (as I use my computer.. LOL.. damn) and television. When you had respect for adults and your parents MADE you respect others and kids actually socialized and learned how to behave on instinct..... I'm getting nostalgia on getting whacked with a belt and being scared of my parents.. LOL...

So if making highly poisonous taxidermy or preserving fish is your thing this book might be handy. Overall fun to read. Fascinating stuff. Has anyone from the older generation ever done this stuff when they were young during camping or with their fathers?

[Andrew Crouthamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the items are not legal in many states anymore, but still great knowledge anyway. Lots of ideas for fun outside, still relevant to modern day due to people trying to get off computers now. Make sure to check other books by Daniel Carter Beard, he wrote several on wilderness survival and shelters.

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Americana between two covers. This book is a gem and an amazing glimpse into our past. The only problem with this book is that it is so inspiring. I have far too little free time to add the number of projects I now want to do after reading this treasure. You have been warned.

[Michael Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like the survivor man show in a book with other fun and neat projects. Originally published in 1880. The Author is one of founders of the Boy Scouts of America. Timeless do-it-yourself fun projects for boys preteen-age on up.

Covers trapping, skinning, taxidermy, watercraft building, capturing and training wild birds (ie. crows, falcons, etc), model hot-air-balloons, making your own fishing reel and pole, aquarium, whip-bow, blow-gun, elder-gun, boomerang, outdoor shelters, home made kites, magic tricks, puppetry, etc, etc.

Perfect for a boy who's always looking for the next thing to do. Great for summertime.

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If Huckleberry Finn were to settle down, somewhere out there in the territory, and decide to become an author, he might very well come up with a book like this one . . . evoking the kind of boyhood that nearly every American man would like to have had himself, and hope that his son (or daughter) might still enjoy."
— Washington Post Book World

"The Handy Book was the perfect survival manual. It contained plans for 16 kinds of kites and hot-air balloons and fishing tackle. It told you how to make and stock an aquarium, to construct a water telescope and how to camp out without a tent. Or in a hut made from pine boughs. How to build 10 kinds of boats, including a flatboat with a covered cabin. Iceboats, too. One-person canoes. Bird calls. Squirt guns with astonishing range and authority.
Today you can be privy to all these splendid secrets . . . printed on acid-free paper and sewn in signatures, it will last to be handed down to you great-grandboys."
— Henry Kisor, The Chicago Sun-Times

[Joseph Leskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a most excellent book, filled to the… uh… back cover with [informative] categorized information on survival and the like. It also includes much on other subjects such as indoor entertainment and animals. All together, it makes for a most excellent guide. Notwithstanding, I would advise a certain degree of caution. Why? Well, on page 320, I believe, it tells of how blowing on a dog's nose will make the animal rub it, an action which can then be associated with a command. And that was how I had a two-second sanguinary battle with a dog and lost, retreating as the only party to bear injury.

[Kathy (Bermudaonion) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American Boy’s Handy Book by Daniel Beard is a guide book for boys. It includes directions for knots, kite building, camping without a tent, and how to build a snow fort, just to name a few. The book was originally published in 1882 and is filled with black and white drawings. While I think it’s wonderful to introduce young boys to the joys of the outdoors, they will have some difficulty with the language of the book. The chapter on Knots, Bends, and Hitches starts like this: “The art of tying knots is an almost necessary adjunct to not a few recreations. Especially is this true of summer sports, many of which are nautical, or in some manner connected with the water.” This book is more suited for older boys or nostalgic men.

Daniel Beard was one of the founder’s of Boy Scouts. He was born in 1850 and lived until 1941. He received the only Golden Eagle badge awarded by the Boy Scouts. He believed in allowing boys to create their own toys and he loved the outdoors. There is a mountain peak in Alaska named for him.

[Rachel Nickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommending gifting this to a child as a practical guide for outdoor fun. Some of the suggestions are downright terrifying by modern standards (Arsenic paint in your child's bedroom taxidermy projects? Homemade fireworks for kids? Sounds like fun!). This book also has a fair bit of racist and sexist language.

However, as a piece of American history, it's fascinating. I read this because of its link to my dissertation research. Daniel Carter Beard formed the "Sons of Daniel Boone" in 1905, which later merged with Boy Scouts of America. He was then involved with BSA for the rest of his life. His sister was also an early organizer of Camp Fire Girls. This book is a captivating glimpse into the world that Beard inhabited and imagined.

It's also inspiring. If boys 130 years ago could build canoes and forts and sailboats out of pieces of scrap leather and gathered logs, I really should figure be able to fix my wobbly couch leg.

[Cheryl]

Recommended to writers of historical fiction who understand that at a certain point in the past, Huckleberry Finn wasn't very much more savage than many young boys of leisure. The "How to Bind a Prisoner without a Cord" is clever, and I would actually like to know a child and try it out.

Not so much recommended to today's children. Most of the handicrafts and games involve fire, knives, tamed or dead animals, and/or materials difficult to obtain nowadays. A few might work. The "Indoor Amusements" of Winter look interesting, especially the Mind Reader 'magic trick,' and fortunately for that you need only self-confidence, a good memory, a confederate, and at least two members of the audience. Oh, and enough identical cards or pieces of paper for all, and at least one pen or pencil.

[louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much more dangerous than that other book, written in the 1870s by a founder of the Boy Scouts. War kites, raise your own hawk, practical taxidermy for boys, whipbows, how to make your own blowgun, magic lanterns, DIY shadowpuppetry, and more. Highly recommended.

Already gave to a friend and his son who live in rural Tennessee. Will happily give to age appropriate girls as well. Interestingly enough, the Girls' Handy Book from the same time is lame-o while the Daring Book for Girls far outstrips the Dangerous Book for Boys.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to this book that I learned at an early age that it's not only possible but fun and invigorating to make your own toys. Although some of the ingredients for the many projects this book contains are no longer readily available (see the snowball fight shield crafted from barrel staves), the ingenuity this book roused out of me keeps me wondering even to this day if I could just as soon make something myself rather than buy it.

[David Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Boy's Handy Book by Daniel Beard (Scribner 1890) (790.194). This volume from the late nineteenth century has taught many generations of boys how to make mischief on a shoestring budget - or with a shoestring! The book gave me many hours of pleasure as a child. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 1968.

[Sarah Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Boy’s Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It, Centennial Edition
Beard, D.C. (2010). American Boys Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It, Centennial Edition. Jaffrey, NH: Godine Publishing.
Reviewed By: Sarah Cherry
Type of Reference: Handbook
Description: This is a reference book for young boys grade 4 and older I felt it would be useful for many projects as well as boys who want to just get off the couch and try some do it yourself projects. It contains many projects that include easy to read instructions.
Content and Scope: The information appears very detailed and has labels along with pictures. It is easy to read. It uses very cost effective projects and easy instructions for completing projects
Accuracy, Authority, and Bias- The author of this book when it was originally published in 1890 was Daniel Beard, who was instrumental in establishing Boy Scouts of America. He held great knowledge in being creative with crafts for boys that were easy to construct. I feel he is in an authoritative position and trust that his information is accurate.
Arrangement- The book is arranged in easy to read format and has pictures and easy to read instructions so that you can easily construct some of the crafts on a do it yourself basis.
Relation to Similar Works: It is similar to style and structure to a Boy Scout Handbook featuring easy to read instructions and projects.
Timeline and Permanence: This information would remain up to date for many years. It is currently the Centennial Edition so I would recommend updating when newer versions come available because it is such a popular handbook.
Cost: $10.36
Rationale for Selection: I feel this information would be helpful to young boys as well as entertaining. I think it would make a great addition to our library. I thought it was very organized in content. I was very familiar with this book because I used it myself for a project of making a kite. It was easy to follow and read.
Professional Review: This reference was reviewed in Booklist.

[Cindy Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Boy s Handy Book by D.C. Beard is a delightful read. The book, first published in 1882, is a travel back to a simpler, more innocent time. Young at heart men and women of all ages will find the book wonderfully enjoyable. There is something for everyone here whether you want to know how to make your own kite or how to raise wild birds. I heartedly recommend this book to everyone! I can think of no one who would not enjoy this romp back to the childhoods of our past.

[Laura Brose · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting look at what were considered appropriate pass times for boys in the 19th century and a great sources of ideas for good clean fun. Taxidermy might be considered gross by modern standards, though, but I guess boys just might have more of a stomach for that kind of thing, though girls' books set in the same time period such as the Anne of Avonlea series write of girls having to kill and pluck chickens and other fowl as part of their chores and cooking dinner.

[Croutonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like a manual on how to be a member of the Little Rascals. Great stuff on snowball fights and traps. Some of the stuff is insanely dangerous, like creating paper hot air balloons with open flames in them, or how to build a gun.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!!!! Hours of fun for boy's!!!

[Steve Are · Rating 5 out of 5]

before there were Boy Scouts, there was mr. beard, who must have been one precocious boy. how to survive 'off the grid' for youngsters.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arcane but wonderful back to basics crafts, nature, learning and fun for children - and us! :)

[Tjek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boys will forever be boys! And what a book to show us how and illuminate the way.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love old "handy books" but this one had way too much capturing and killing of animals to be very enjoyable to me.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful compilation of interesting, outdoorsy activities!

[Richard Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun. Browsing through hundreds of projects both small and ambitious to occupy the late 19th century boy living in a rural area. Boys today make almost nothing with their own hands. Boys back then made their own kites and fishing gear and toys and this book shows how they did it. A glimpse into a world long gone.

[Snakestar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really isn't a book that you would read like a novel, it's a book to pick up when your board and look for something to do. It's a book to find useful crafts and wild pets. Because of this book my sister currently has a pet Barn Swallow and I am looking for a baby crow. It may say that it's for boys but I think this is a book for anyone who likes the outdoors.

[Margaret Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this when our boys were young but even back then was a bit appalled with the dangerous stuff boys did back in the day. However, everything we did do was great fun. Both a history lesson and a book for bored kids.

[William Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide to older skills. A little hard to read.

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plenty of interesting activities, though clearly dated.

[Mike Nordstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every young boy should have this book, is it fuel for the imagination.

[David MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting only problem was not all of the supplies are easy to find if you don't live by the ocean.

[Jonathan]

I got this book as a gift when I was a young boy, and spent many a late night flipping through the pages, imagining all sorts of Huck-Finn-esque adventures that I could have using the instructions in these pages. Although the ideas themselves may be a little dated, some of the information remains useful, and the imagination sparked by reading them was the most valuable to me. A great read for any adventurous youngster.