Books!

[bmwrd0]

One of the things I really like in books is hand illustrations. Part of this comes from the time and place I grew up in, but this has been a trend in books for decades if not centuries.





Both of those books are from the early eighties, and at that time, many of you might remember, there was a real ethos on the west coast at least of homemade and hand-built. This comes across really clearly in these books, and it is also very helpful to see what is going on in the pictures if you need a clear understanding. And there is a very specialized tool in that last photo, a book weight, used to hold open a stiff volume.

 

[driftpin]

1965 Herter's Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices

1971 The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport

1979 Alloys and Automobiles

Three I picked-out off the shelf to post, not especially old, but very-entertaining.

When I was a kid, my 'wish-book' was the mid-1960's Herter's catalog. You could buy almost anything in there, and it was heavily centered on fishing, hunting, shooting, and outdoors activities in general. The descriptions alone were worth the time-spent. The Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices has recipes I still-use today, more-than 50 years later. I've never been disappointed in a recipe I tried. The stories accompanying the recipes are very entertaining.

The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport from 1971 has a foreward by Sir Stirling Moss. If you want to know about the history of motor racing, this is the place. From tracks used then or those which no-longer existed, to an alphabetical listing of drivers, to all-eras of racing automobiles, it's just a wonderful place to spend hours reading about automobiles, drivers, and competition.

Alloys and Automobiles, published in 1979 by the Indianapolis Historical Society, is a detailed biography about Ellwood Haynes. Mostly-forgotten today, Haynes was an engineer and inventor whose research and products made him a rich man, and whose work is the basis for industries today. He is an automobile pioneer, and his products were among the best of the time. His work in metallurgy produced products like Stellite and stainless steel, and the transportation of natural gas to markets where it was to-be used, via pipelines. Haynes pioneered work in the safe pipeline use from wellfields in Indiana to Chicago, creating a number of equipment pieces to safely-allow this. If you've read any of the biographies of Edison, you may draw comparisons between these two, in their love of experimentation, their documentation of what they did, and their drive.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If you are a "roamer, a mushroomer and a rooter" then I would suggest Euell Gibbons books.

Yessir!

 

[Farmer J.]

I guess it depends on who you are if you want to go off-topic.

Yea, maybe.
I spend most of my life being 'off topic'! It sometimes annoys folk, but has led me to a lot of varied and interesting experiences..!! Life is about the journey, not the destination...
I have wondered about putting something in my signature line, like "never sticks to a single thread".

 

[Farmer J.]

1
1971 The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport
The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport from 1971 has a foreward by Sir Stirling Moss.

Nice ones, Driftpin.
How about this for an 'off topic' post? When I was a little kid I bought a pet rabbit from that racing guy Stirling Moss. He had a rabbit farm not far from us. He was a pleasant chap and let me choose a very nice buck Dutch Rabbit for breeding, and he fathered quite a few offspring (as rabbits do). I called the rabbit 'Sterling'!

 

[ed4banger]

plumbing book, 1919. Guess I could always just take pics of my college engineering books...... :-(

 

[WisJim]

Going through boxes of books from the attic in preparation for a garage sale last week I found these. A 1959 electrical code, a 1939 Wiring Simplified by Richter, and a 1918 Woodwork for Secondary Schools. I'm keeping these.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Outlaw reported a wartime Education Manual at a yard sale on the GS thread and I asked him to post the frontispiece, copyright and title pages here. As I was telling him there, out of all the FMs, TMs, handbooks, and other pubs I have, I've only ever found one EM in the wild, this EM 950, which I am posting for comparison and context.

 

[Outlawmws]

Well I finally made it here, (BMW invited me to post ages ago, but Life... - Had I not completed my taxes yesterday, I'd probably STILL be remiss!)

With at least 2000 books in the house, I have plenty that fit GJ one way and another. Lots of technical, engineering, and car related books,

Lugz also asked me to post an EM book I picked up yesterday, and it happens I have nine of them Most were my dads Korean War Vet) But all were from WWII I was surprised to see. I'll note which were my Dads, the rest were Yard/Estate sale finds. (I hit used book stores regularity, but never saw any of these...)

The FIND that Lugs asked about - Sorry Lugz, I didn't take the title page, Author - Henry D. Burghardt if that was what you were after:

My Dads, near-complete set of the Auto-Mechanics (Missing 952, #3, Electrical) - Lugz, These all have the same author.

EM 950:

EM951:

EM953:

EM954:

 

[Outlawmws]

And some more of my dads. These 3 are on Physics, and are missing at least 2... Author Charles E, Dull (Seriously!):

EM 400:

EM402:

EM 404 - Missed the Cover - Physics, Electricity

And the last one is on surveying, Author, Charles Breed:

EM 908:

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks!

 

[gpw_42]

EM 952, and an alternative cover for the EM 954. My other auto course books are blue, like Outlaw's.

 

[Ton ton]

Following this thread.

 

[dutchgray]

I have some the highlight of which is 10 volumes of "Machinery's mechanical library" published 1914 /15 they are first editions and a mix of first and second printings.

 

[Randydrummer]

Love my book sets.
Time Life Home Repair and Improvement set.
Audel

 

[bmwrd0]

Great stuff guys, keep it coming!

 

[IMCA38]

Here is a book that I first learned about in the early or mid 1980’s when I started collecting diecast construction models. Eventually, I came across it in the local library and checked it out a number of times. The span of material covered is mind boggling.
A few years ago, I came across this copy at the library book dispersal sale. Was a no brainer to grab it.

 

[Provincial]

IMCA38, I have one of those books, too. I picked it up when I was starting to use construction equipment and build roads and things. It has been very useful.

Don't take everything it says as gospel. For instance, it says you can leave stumps in the roadbed if they are buried at least 6 feet below the road surface. Last year the County had a sinkhole in a gravel road nearby. They found a rotten stump 8 feet below the road surface that had been left when the road was realigned 60 years ago.

But most information is good, though perhaps a little dated in terms of technology.

 

[IMCA38]

IMCA38, I have one of those books, too. I picked it up when I was starting to use construction equipment and build roads and things. It has been very useful.

Don't take everything it says as gospel. For instance, it says you can leave stumps in the roadbed if they are buried at least 6 feet below the road surface. Last year the County had a sinkhole in a gravel road nearby. They found a rotten stump 8 feet below the road surface that had been left when the road was realigned 60 years ago.

But most information is good, though perhaps a little dated in terms of technology.

It would be interesting to review one of the more recent editions of the book and see if any content has been added or changed over time.

 

[d42jeep]

I found newer copy of Machinery’s Handbook today to move into my Kennedy box’s drawer. I’m going to find a safer place for my wartime edition.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

A very nice copy, Don. What year is it from?

 

[Provincial]

Don, you will find that MH put very useful information on Metric items in that edition. They started going to Metric a few editions earlier, and by then had included most of what was needed to make Metric parts.

Nice pick!

 

[d42jeep]

A very nice copy, Don. What year is it from?

Don, you will find that MH put very useful information on Metric items in that edition. They started going to Metric a few editions earlier, and by then had included most of what was needed to make Metric parts.

Nice pick!

Thanks, guys. I believe that it’s from 1988.
-Don

 

[Binderminder]

A week ago, starting with Private Lugnutz, several members posted gov't published Education Manuals (EM's). I have a copy of a Technical Manual, TM55-274, titled Operation of Railroads - Locomotive Repair Shops, published by the War Department in August 1946. Excellent book if you are interested in steam locomotive maintenance, as I am. So far I have been unable to locate other manuals in the series. Any others out there?

Sorry I can't upload any pics right now. Great thread!

Brian

 

[Fretters]

These are English, from just before the war. Engineering shop is their term for a machine shop.

I have that set of books too, amongst others.

Regarding the term, we just tend to use workshop to cover a multitude of sins, else to refer to businesses, we do it generally by type, i.e: engineer(s), joiner(s) etc.

 

[bmwrd0]

Over the weekend, while digging through a farm estate sale, I found these:

The Briggs and Stratton Service/parts book is from 1959, while the Tecumseh book is from 1972. The plant mantenance book was put out by the editors of Industrial Engineer magazine 1928.

The tecumseh book is interesting as it is a loose leaf, binders style notebook were the owner decided to improvise the binder.

And having a parts manual for the Briggs is very nice if you work on these, as it lists all models from the time period.

 

[gpw_42]

A little newer than some of the cool books on this thread, so I hope it fits. Picked up this VCR repair book today:

 

[driftpin]

A little newer than some of the cool books on this thread, so I hope it fits. Picked up this VCR repair book today:

A Betamax book, and you're set!

I bought a Popular Mechanics magazine awhile-ago, from circa 1953, with a long article on titanium. As soon as I saw it, I got it. The small ads in the back are a great read. "Learn electronics in your spare-time!" "Be a locksmith!" And all the surplus military equipment for sale. As 'Click' and "ClacK' would have said, "a great time-waster!"

 

[bonneyman]

Dang, bmw - now I have to find a book weight!

And that service series Randydrummer is da bomb!

 

[d42jeep]

I grabbed this at a Tahoe yard sale yesterday. I still need to go through it.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

Wow, I used to go to Murry Tools and Supply all the time when I was in Sacramento, Ken Murry and I used to talk all the time. How cool is that? They had been located in midtown forever, but they moved just before I left the area.

Great find Don!

 

[bmwrd0]

I have been slightly remiss in updating this thread! Not that I haven't been picking up paper, but I have needed to take pictures of all of it. Anyway, here we go:

These are all titles I picked up at the SteamUp swap a week ago. The Yachats Under Sail is a reprint of a very rare '30s book, and most of the rest are from the fifties, with the exception of Metal Turning, a seventies English title.


I have a few of these Popular Science Workshop Annuals, as they provide a great snapshot of what putterers and fettlers did in decades past. Also, you tend to learn more than a few forgotten tricks and can see where some of the current horrors came from.


When I was a kid, there was a local hobby shop that had an incredible model RR display and my friends and I would go down to look at it at every opportunity. I doubt I will ever build one, but it is cool to look into the ideas and technical aspects of it.

 

[bmwrd0]

Another old home improvement type magazine:

 

[d42jeep]

Wow, I used to go to Murry Tools and Supply all the time when I was in Sacramento, Ken Murry and I used to talk all the time. How cool is that? They had been located in midtown forever, but they moved just before I left the area.

Great find Don!

Thanks. Here are a couple more pictures.
-Don

 

[Jgaz]

A few from my collection:

A later edition of the popular South Bend book and a couple of Fluid Power books from the early 80’s


A reprint of an early 40’s sheet metal book and an old Popular Science workshop book


A 1953 edition of a “spelling book for dummies.“. It took my school teacher mother years before she accepted that I sucked at spelling. She gave me the bottom book (1953). I found the 1971 edition in a used book store and kept it in my work tool box for years. Used it (before spell check) when I wanted to write something and didn’t want to look like an idiot.


My mother had these tool use handbooks for use by her one room school house students
These are a 1943 edition with the drawings of “Primitive Pete” done by the Disney artists during WW2


A couple of content pages

 

[Outlawmws]

Here is a quick perusal of maybe half, to 2/3rds of my relevant books. First set is in the garage workroom shelf is closs\e to 12 ft, and 1/3 is blocked:















And some of the books in the house:

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a quick perusal of maybe half, to 2/3rds of my relevant books. First set is in the garage workroom shelf is closs\e to 12 ft, and 1/3 is blocked:















And some of the books in the house:

Nice collection, Outlaw!
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

Thanks! I also left out the Camping/Hunting Fishing/Survival books, and the Gun books.

 

[ZRX61]

 

[brainypencil]

Books are uniquely portable magic.