Bidspirit auction | Popular Mechanics Co. The Boy

Popular Mechanics Co. The Boy Mechanic, Three Volumes (Books I, II, and 3). 1915-1929. (DJ) - A trio of early twentieth-century volumes from the popular instructional series The Boy Mechanic, published by Popular Mechanics Press in Chicago. Included in this group are Book 1 (1929 copyright), Volume II (1915 copyright), and Book 3 (1919 copyright). These hardcover, cloth-bound quarto editions are comprehensive DIY manuals for youth, containing thousands of project instructions and diagrams for building model aeroplanes, boats, furniture, electrical devices, and camp gear. Book 1 features its original pictorial dust jacket. The front flyleaf of Book 1 contains a handwritten inscription comprising a poem about lending books, signed by Paul Gillette and dated Christmas 1937. Volume II is bound in green pictorial cloth with gold and dark green stamping, and Book 3 is bound in blue pictorial cloth with yellow and dark blue stamping. The dust jacket for Book 1 is in poor condition, exhibiting heavy chipping, multiple tears, and significant losses to the paper, particularly at the spine ends and corners. Volume II shows shelf wear, bumped corners, and fading to the spine cloth. Book 3 has a split internal front hinge and wear to the extremities. All volumes display expected age-related toning to the pages, with some sporadic foxing and handling marks consistent with use in a workshop environment.