December, 1909 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
JUST PUBLISHED 
Three New Instructive Books 
SUITABLE FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS 
Concrete Pottery and Garden 
Furniture 
BY RALPH C. DAVISON 
12mo, 5% x 7% inches, 196 pages, 140 illustrations. 
and explained in detail in a most practical manner the various methods of casting concrete in ornamental 
1S work should appeal strongly to all those interested in ornamental concrete, as the author has taken up 
shapes. The titles of the thirteen chapters which this book contains will give a general idea of the broad 
character of the work. They are entitled: 
I, Making Wire Forms and Frames; II., Covering the Wire Frames and Modeling the Cement Mortar into Form ; 
IIL., Plaster Molds for Simple Forms; IV., Plaster Molds for 
Objects Having Curved Outlines; V., Combination of Casting 
and Modeling—An Egyptian Vase; VI., Glue Molds; VII., 
Colored Cements and Methods Used for Producing Designs 
with Same; VIII., Selection of Aggregates; IX., Wooden 
Molds—Ornamental Flower Pots Modeled by Hand and Inlaid 
with Colored Tile; X., Concrete Pedestals; XI., Concrete 
Benches; XII., Concrete Fences; XIII., Miscellaneous, In- 
cluding Tools, Waterproofing and Reinforcing. 
The first two chapters explain a most unique and original 
method of working pottery which has been developed by the 
author. The chapter on color work alone is worth many times 
the cost of the book, inasmuch as there is little known on this 
subject, and there is a large and growing demand for this 
class of work. The author has taken for granted that the 
reader knows nothing whatever about the material and has 
explained each progressive step in the various operations 
Price, $1.50 Postpaid 
A most attractive book. The only work issued on the subject 
throughout in detail. These directions have been supplemented with half-tones and line illustrations which are so clear that no one can misunderstand them. The 
amateur craftsman who has been working in clay will especially appreciate the adaptability of concrete for pottery work, inasmuch as it is a cold process throughout, 
thus doing away with the necessity of kiln firing, which is necessary with the former material. The book is well gotten up, and is printed on heavy glazed paper 
and abounds in handsome illustrations throughout, which clearly show the unlimited possibilities of ornamentation in concrete. 
Handy Man’s Workshop 
and Laboratory 
Compiled and Edited by A. RUSSELL BOND 
12mo, 6x 8% inches, 467 pages, 370 illustrations 
Price, $2.00 Postpaid 
A Collection of Ideas and Suggestions for the Practical 
Man 
VERY practical mechanic, whether amateur or professional, has been con- 
BH fronted many times with unexpected situations calling for the exercise 
of considerable ingenuity. The resourceful man who has met an issue of 
this sort successfully seldom, if ever, is adverse to making public his methods of 
procedure. After all, he has little to gain by keeping the matter to himself and, 
appreciating the advice of other practical men in the same line of work, he is only 
too glad to contribute his own suggestions to the general fund of information. 
About a year ago it was decided to open a department in the Scientific Amer- 
ican devoted to the interests of the handy man. There was an almost immediate 
response. Hundreds of valuable suggestions poured in from every part of this 
country and from abroad as well. Not only amateur mechanics, but profes- 
sional men, as well, were eager to recount their experiences in emergencies and 
offer useful bits of information, ingenious ideas, wrinkles or ‘‘kinks” as they 
are called. Aside from these, many valuable contributions came from men in 
other walks of life—resourceful men, who showed their aptness at doing things 
about the house, in the garden, on the farm. The electrician and the man in 
the physics and chemical laboratory furnished another tributary to the flood 
of ideas. Automobiles, motor cycles, motor boats and the like frequently call 
for a display of ingenuity among a class of men who otherwise would never 
touch a tool. These also contributed a large share of suggestions that poured 
in upon us. It was apparent from the outset that the Handy Man’s Workshop 
Department in the Scientific American would be utterly inadequate for so 
large a volume of material; but rather than reject any really useful ideas for 
lack of space, we have collected the worthier suggestions, which we present in 
the present volume. They have all been classified and arranged in nine 
chapters, under the following headings : 
L., Fitting up a Workshop ; II., Shop Kinks; III., The Soldering of Metals 
and the Preparation of Solders and Soldering Agents; IV., The Handy Man in 
the Factory; V., The Handy Man’s Experimental Laboratory ; VI., The Handy 
Man’s Electrical Laboratory ; VII., The Handy Man about the House; VIIL., 
The Handy Sportsman ; 1X., Model Toy Flying Machines. 
The Scientific American 
Boy at School 
By A. RUSSELL BOND 
12mo, 6 x 8% inches, 338 pages, 314 illustrations. 
Price, $2.00 Postpaid 
An Ideal Book for Boys and Particularly so for the 
Holidays 
HIS book is a sequel to “‘ The Scientific American Boy,” many thousand 
fh copies of which have been sold, and has proven very popular witn the 
boys. The main object of the book is to instruct how to build various 
devices and apparatus, particularly for outdoor use. The construction of the 
apparatus which is fully within the scope of the average boy, is fully 
described and the instructions are interwoven in a story, a feature which has 
assisted in making ‘‘ The Scientific American Boy’’ so popular and interesting to 
the boy. ( 
It takes up the story of “Bill” and several of his companions at boarding 
school. They form a mysterious Egyptian society, whose object is to emulate 
the resourcefulness of the ancients. Their Chief Astrologer and Priest of the 
Sacred Scarabeus is gifted with unusual powers, but his magic is explained so 
that others can copy it. Under the directions of the Chief Engineer, dams, 
bridges and canal-locks are constructed. The Chief Admiral and Naval Con- 
structor builds many types of boats, some of which are entirely new. The 
Chief Craftsman and the Chief Artist also have their parts in the work done 
by the Society, over which Pharaoh and his Grand Vizier have charge. Follow- 
ing is a list of the chapters : 
Chapter I., Initiation ; Chapter IJ., Building a Dam; Chapter III., The Skiff; 
Chapter IV., The Lake House; Chapter V., A Midnight Surprise; Chapter VI., 
The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers ; Chapter VII., A ‘Pedal Paddle-Boat”’; 
Chapter VIII., Surveying; Chapter IX., Sounding the Lake; Chapter X., 
Signaling Systems; Chapter XI., The Howe Truss Bridge; Chapter XII., The 
Seismograph ; Chapter XIII., The Canal Lock ; Chapter XIV., Hunting with a 
Camera; Chapter XV., The Gliding Machine; Chapter XVI., Camping Ideas; 
Chapter XVII., The Haunted House; Chapter XVIII., Sun-Dials and Clepsydras ; 
Chapter XIX., The Fish-tail Boat; Chapter XX., Kite Photography; Chapter 
XXI., Water-Kites and Current Sailing; Chapter XXIT., The Wooden Canoe; 
Chapter XXIII, The Bicycle Sled; Chapter XXIV., Magic; Chapter XXV., 
The Sailboat; Chapter XXVI., Water Sports, and Chapter XXYII., Geyser 
Fountain. 
MUNN & COMPANY, Inc., Publishers, 361 Broadway, New York 
