Handyman's Book by Better Homes and Gardens

Was so disappointed with this. It was meant as a fun gift, but was in terrible condition. The jacket was torn so bad it wouldn't even stay on. An ugly UPC sticker was pasted right on the middle of the face in the image. And it was packaged so poorly. Too bad.

The picture and description made this sound like fun retro book from the 60's in good condition. not true! It was covered in dust,smelled musty and the pages were brown and falling out. I should have known, the seller wasn't a book merchant, just someone trying to make money. It seemed like an item that could be donated, but should not have been sold in the condition that it was in.

The first edition of the Better Homes and Gardens' Handyman's Book was first published in 1951. There have been others; 1957 and 1966.

It is rather difficult assessing these older "how to do it books," as technology now changes almost on a monthly basis. The edition being reviewed here is great for basic how to do it stuff such as how to hammer a nail, screw a screw in, proper uses of various wrenches (wrenches of that time, I might add), basic use of what were the current power tools of that time and of course the various methods of fastening things; glue, nails, screws, bolts, etc. More about this later....

This work is in a three ring binder which makes it rather handy to work with. It is quite well illustrated and the directions are quite precise. Photographs are in black and white as are diagrams. There is good basic information in this work. Some of the items covered are timeless, such as building brick walls, repair of various older aspects of the home and yard, storage units and to a certain extent, building materials. Now that being said...

This edition, along with the previous ones, are invaluable when it comes to reworking an older room or older house if you are into the restoring thing. I often take on such projects (I am currently getting reading to do a home that is well over 140 years old) and information is difficult to come by for some of the older plumbing, walls, fixtures, windows, doors and such. I like to keep to the original thought and spirit behind the design and function as nearly as possible and use, again as nearly as possible, the original tools that first put the place together. Eccentric, I know, but hey, it is my time and I do it to make me happy...no one else. This work is quite valuable in that sense. For modern homes though and modern projects, there is an absolute plethora of new products, new tools and new techniques out there that make the work oh so much easier. This work does of course not cover these "new things." The power tools alone in this work, even the 1968 version, are quite outdated and I would NOT use this book when it came to plumbing a new structure...only if restoring an older one. As has been pointed out, this work is mid-century at best.

The same would hold true to electrical matters. While the principles are the same, the materials are quite different and many of the newer items require special handling. Always keep in mind that this version of this book is over 40 years old and a lot of water has passed under the bridge in that time.

I am giving this one five stars simply because in its time, it was excellent and it is still useful when digging into older projects. If you can get a copy and if you are interested in such things, it is well worth the search.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

This is the edition of the Better Homes and Garden's Handyman book to get! The cover art is wonderful - truly a great display item.

The original 1951 edition comes with a plain red cover. That version made the bestseller's list on its release.

I'm not sure which printing was the first to have the blue pictorial cover. As early as the 5th printing in 1957 sports the mod cover. It is not listed as a revised edition so the interior is likely the same as the original red-cover version. The illustrations inside are of the same style as the cover - with a majority of the men pictured smoking pipes as they work. I like to call the style "Mid-Century Manly".

Its really a shame the illustrations are not credited.

If you're in need of a do-it-yourself guide, might as well go for the stylish one!

I love this book and it's been a life saver for me on many occasions as I've tried to repair things around the house. So much stuff in this book and it's really written clearly so you can understand how to make repairs to almost anything in your home. I highly recommend this book to all.

Love it and I am so glad that I got it. Not everyone is going to be able to do things but this is simple enough for everyone to understand