Daniel Beard, a founding member of the Boy Scouts of America, firmly believed in letting boys make their own playthings with their hands, to encourage them to value their own work and gain skills needed to successfully invent, construct and dream. This is truer today than ever before—in a world of video games and cell phones. Welcome the joys of childhood back into your children's lives with The American Boy's Handy Book, and help them discover hobbies, games and activities that will stimulate their imagination and create a sense of adventure in the real world around us.Lina Beard and Adelia B. Beard were sisters of Daniel Carter Beard (1850 - 1941) who was the first National Commissioner and Chairman of the Court of Honor in the Boy Scouts of America. The siblings were co-founders of the Campfire Girls.

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."