Practical Mechanics for Boys

by James Slough Zerbe

J. S. Zerbe's Practical Mechanics for Boys presents a complete education in every dimension of no-nonsense, hands-on shop work that is written in approachable language appropriate to both the novice and the seasoned craftsmen. In addition to chapters exploring a variety of tools and their use, the process of designing, laying out and completing projects, fundamental devices like lacings, gears, valves and clutches, the properties of materials (elasticity, torsion, conductivity, etc.), and the basics of drafting and mechanical power, the author also shares insights on the process of becoming an inventor – turning ideas into objects, building models and prototypes, securing a patent and more. Over 100 original illustrations. Also contains 16 handy tables, dozens of formulas for making your own glues, cements, polishes, etc., and a glossary of more than 300 important mechanical terms.

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2007

Reviews

[Carl]

The kindle version of this book shows the original copyright date of (c) 1914, The New York Book Company. The author is listed as J. S. Zerbe, M.E, indicating that he was a mechanical engineer. However, we have greatly changed our ideas of science since then. We no longer accept the notion that light is transmitted through some unknown substance call 'ether' (a concept disproven in 1887 by the Michelson-Morley experiment). Nor do we believe that vibration is the foundation of all physical phenomena, a concept Mr. Zerbe devotes most of a chapter to, stating such things as: "The painful brilliancy of the sun is produced by the rapid vibrations of the rays; the twinkle of a distant star, the waves of the ocean, when ruffled by the winds; the shimmer of the moon on its crested surface; the beating of the heart; all, alike obey the one grand and universal law of vibratory motion."

I'm not sure how useful this book is to any boy who would like to learn the principles of being a mechanic (here the term refers to an engineer who works in a machine shop, not an auto mechanic, as we would think today). The language of the book is arcane enough that unless you have a previous knowledge of the craft and terms and substances used at the turn of the 20th century, it is difficult to follow. Also, the book doesn't go into enough details of the method used for creating anything with the tools and formulae presented to be useful in gaining an understanding of how to use the ideas he discusses.

All, that being said, I enjoyed the book. My father was a boy at the time the book was published, and I can imagine him having read this book and gaining his first introduction to engineering and science from it. He retained a lifelong enjoyment of working with machinery and chemical formulae, and I remember as a boy hearing him discuss the idea of light and radio waves traveling through the ether. This book gives a view of the nature of scientific and engineering thinking at the beginning of the 20th century, and is enjoyable from that viewpoint.

[Carl]

This is the same as Practical Mechanics for Boys