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Print: $29.95 Download: $9.95 Rediscover Halloween – the way it was meant to be! This one of a kind anthology of vintage Halloween history, superstition, facts and fun brings together two complete classic volumes - The Book of Halloween (1919) and Games For Halloween (1912) – along with more than 40 articles, reminiscences, stories, poems, and even sheet music, all published between the 1840s and the early 1920s, and all revealing and reveling in the spirit of Halloween as it was understood and celebrated in Europe and America during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. With more than 300 pages of text and nearly 100 vintage Halloween illustrations, THE BETTER DAYS BOOKS VINTAGE HALLOWEEN READER is the most comprehensive, informative, fun and heartwarmingly nostalgic Halloween reference ever compiled.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 A Vintage medley of spooky fascination and fun for every grown-up who still thrills to the sight of carved pumpkins, straw witches and the eerie promise of a full, golden moon crowning a crisp October night!
In Ruth Edna Kelley's THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN, you'll discover the roots of our modern Halloween holiday in the religious and cultural traditions of the ancient Celts, Irish, Scots, Welsh, Britons, Germans and other Peoples of Old Europe, while also catching an enticing firsthand glimpse of how the holiday was enjoyed during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, in both Europe and America.
Filled with Halloween poems, games and tried and true ancient methods for divining the future (especially for discovering the identity of one's future spouse!), THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN opens a captivating window onto the past of one of today's most beloved holidays.
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Print: $8.95 Download: $3.95 Hallow-e'en or Hallow-Even is the last night of October, being the eve or vigil of All-Hallow's or All Saint's Day, and no holiday in all the year is so informal or so marked by fun both for grown-ups as well as children as this one. On this night there should be nothing but laughter, fun and mystery. It is the night when Fairies dance, Ghosts, Witches, Devils and mischief-making Elves wander around. It is the night when all sorts of charms and spells are invoked for prying into the future by all young folks and sometimes by folks who are not young...
-- From the Introduction
First published in 1912, this vintage holiday classic is packed with ideas and activities guaranteed to make your Victorian-themed Halloween gathering the most authentic, impressive and talked about party of the year! Includes instructions for more than 60 traditional Halloween games, plus dozens of riddles, party game "forfeits" and more!
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Print: $11.95 Download: $3.95 Beginning with the Yuletide festivals of the ancient world, The Celebration of Christmas In Europe and America: Yuletide Traditions From Many Lands shares a history of Christmas across Europe, exploring the Holiday customs of England, Germany (true source of the Christmas Tree!), Scandinavia (Lapland, Holland, Denmark), France, Italy, Russia and Spain. The chapter on Yule in Russia is especially poignant, as its writing predates the Bolshevik Revolution, offering a unique glimpse into that country's pre-Communist Christian roots. The final chapter is a surprising history of Christmas in Colonial America. First published in 1916, and reproduced in this quality reprint edition with all of the charming original illustrations intact, The Celebration of Christmas In Europe and America: Yuletide Traditions From Many Lands opens a wondrous window on the magic and beauty of the Christmas Season as it was understood and observed during the Victorian era.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Discover the pleasures of a true Old World Christmas, and share the wonder with your children! Originally published in 1898, Christmas Entertainments brings together more than sixty "Fancy Drills, Acrostics, Motion Songs, Tableaux, Short Plays, and Recitations in Costume for Children of Five To Fifteen Years" by such Yuletide luminaries as Eugene Field and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, as well as by many lesser known but equally talented educators whose creative holiday musings appeared in the 19th Century periodical The School Journal. Giving equal time to Christian religious and secular "Santa Claus" themes, Christmas Entertainments is an ideal holiday pageant source and inspiration book for modern public school teachers and homeschool parents seeking to offer children a taste of what Christmas was like for American kids before TV, modernism, commercialism and "political correctness" so successfully conspired in our time to obscure the season's true meaning.
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Print: $19.95 Download: $3.95 Originally published in 1907 as part of Dodd, Mead & Company's "Our American Holidays" series. With entires from Charles Wesley, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Milton, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, William Makepeace Thackeray, Washington Irving, William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson, Martin Luther, Hans Christian Andersen and dozens of other authors whose names ring synonymous with everything about our most cherished American holiday that touches our hearts and inspires our spirits (even the famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause" letter is here!), Robert Haven Schauffler's Christmas: Its Origin, Celebration And Significance As Related In Prose And Verse brings together in a single omnibus volume the most complete collection of beloved classic Yultide poems, stories, carols, hymns and more, from both religious and secular sources, ever compiled between the covers of a single book. A true "must-have" for vintage Christmas and antiquarian book collectors alike.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Our American Holidays: Their Meaning and Spirit was originally published in 1906, and is at once a heartwarming reminiscence on the Victorian Era in America and a reminder of the inspiration and delight our most beloved Traditional holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, Easter, Halloween – as well as the national identity and pride our uniquely American holidays – Independence Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington – can still hold for us today. Compiled from the pages of St. Nicholas Magazine, a popular turn of the Century publication for youth ages five to eighteen, Our American Holidays: Their Meaning and Spirit is an ideal resource for reclaiming the original, uncommercialized significance and character of every American holiday for ourselves, and for sharing that vision, inspiration and delight with the children we love.
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Print: $14.95 Download: $3.95 The Art of Perfumery and Methods Of Obtaining the Aromas of Plants was first published in 1857, and to this day remains THE quintessential guide to distilling your own essential oils, and for using them to make your own cosmetics, scented soaps, smelling salts, bouquets, nosegays, sachets, perfumed papers, perfumed leather, incense, aromatic lamp oils, emulsines (soap substitutes), cold creams, lip salves, perfumed hair oils, hair dyes, face powders, rouges, tooth powders, mouth washes, hair rinses and more! This must-have manual of all things olfactory is an attractive, informative and preeminently practical volume the perfumer, aromatherapist, herbalist or crafter in your life is sure to cherish.
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Print: $11.95 Download: $3.95 "The people who make constant use of chocolate are the ones who enjoy the most steady health, and are the least subject to a multitude of little ailments which destroy the comfort of life..." (from the introductory chapter, “Cocoa and Chocolate”)
Compiled for complimentary distribution by chocolate maker Walter Baker & Co., Ltd. in 1909, Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes By Miss Parloa and Home Made Candy Recipes By Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill gives detailed instructions for creating 139 Victorian Era chocolate delicacies ranging from the simplest hot breakfast cocoa to the most extravagant desserts and elegant party dishes and delights. A must-own collectible volume for lovers of chocolate, vintage cook books and American Victoriana alike!
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Print: $11.95 Download: $3.95 Make homemade frozen deserts the good, old fashioned, 19th Century way! With 126 recipes for Philadelphia and Neapolitan ice creams, ice creams from condensed milk, frozen puddings and desserts, water ices, sherbets and sorbets, frozen fruit dishes, frappes, parfaits and dozens of styles of mousse and mouth-watering dessert sauces and toppings, Make Your Own Ice Creams, Water Ices and Frozen Puddings is every cook's complete, single-source guide to creative culinary coldness! Includes 80 "warm" recipes for a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches and main dishes, with suggestions for catering every scale of social affair, from simple "card parties," to weddings, to gatherings of 100 or more.
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Print: $14.95 Download: $3.95 "The most successful farmers of the present day are those who work in harmony with the forces and laws of nature ..." With this simple yet profoundly prescient opening line, Charles L. Goodrich sets the wise, practical and eminently earth-friendly tone that informs every page of The Better Days Books First Book of Farming: A Step-By-Step Guide for the Origiganic Grower. Originally published in 1905, this timeless primer for the aspiring farmer (or backyard or market gardener!) "begins at the beginning," exploring the hidden secrets of how plants grow and what they need to flourish. It then takes the reader on a step-by-step journey through the worlds of roots, seed, soil and water, then on into the fundamental "orgiganic" methods by which bountiful harvests can reaped without recourse to poisonous chemical fertilizers or insecticides. Includes chapters on restoring and maintaining soil fertility, fixing drainage problems, and strategies for successful crop rotation.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 You can grow your own mushrooms, easily and naturally, without using fertilizers, insecticides or other dangerous chemicals! The Better Days Book Origiganic Guide to Growing Mushroom for Profit and Pleasure gives easy instructions for growing delectable table mushrooms in cellars, mushroom houses, sheds, greenhouses, caves, and even out of doors, in ridges and the open field. This classic grower's manual (first published in 1892) is a treasure trove of practical gardening wisdom from a bygone era predating the introduction of modern chemical farming. Rediscover the good, old-fashioned, "origiganic" growing methods that offer a better, healthier, safer, and even generally less expensive way to produce bounties of fabulous, poison-free food – for our families, and for the marketplace! Includes 19 recipes for preparing and sharing your flavorful harvest.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 You can grow your own food!
With some, the home vegetable garden is a hobby; with others, especially in these days of high prices, a great help. There are many in both classes whose experience in gardening has been restricted within very narrow bounds, and whose present spare time for gardening is limited. It is as "first aid" to such persons, who want to do practical, efficient gardening, and do it with the least possible fuss and loss of time, that this book is written.
- From the Introduction -
For those who understand the significance of home-grown foods to surviving and thriving in difficult times, F. F. Rockwell's no-nonsense Home Vegetable Gardening: A Complete And Practical Guide To The Planting And Care Of All Vegetables, Fruits And Berries Worth Growing For Home Use, may be the best single volume, practical manual of family-feeding, high-yield home gardening ever compiled.
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Print: $8.95 Download: $3.95 Grow a bumper crop of crunchy cabbages, crispy cauliflower, sweet baby brustels sprouts and mouth-watering Kale without using chemical fertilizers or poisonous pesticides – the "Origiganic" way!
It has been only since the 1960s that dangerous petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides have been in widespread use, so any serious gardening "how to" treatise published prior to 1960 will, quite "naturally," exclude their use. "Origiganic" is a new word we have coined here at Better Days Books to describe these time-tested, chemical-free "original" methods of growing food in our backyards, gardens and even on full scale farms. With The Better Days Books Origiganic Guide to Growing Cabbages and Cauliflowers (Original publication date: 1889) you'll be well on your way to producing a better, healthier, safer, and even generally less expensive bounty of fabulous, poison-free food – for your family and for the marketplace.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 First published in 1912, M. G. Kain's CULINARY HERBS: THEIR CULTIVATION, HARVESTING, CURING AND USES is at once a down to earth guide to the "Origiganic," chemical free cultivation, preparation and savory use of the 36 herbs most essential to every great cook’s cupboard, and an inspiring and poetic love song to the culinary charm of these tantalizing "masters of the kitchen."
"Origiganic" is a new word we have coined at Better Days Books to describe time-tested "original" methods of growing food naturally in our backyards, gardens and farms. Only since the 1960s have petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides have been in widespread use, so any "how to" treatise published prior to 1960 will quite "naturally" exclude their use. The old-fashioned, "original" method, it turns out (as is so often the case), is simply a better, healthier, safer, and even generally less expensive way to produce bounties of fabulous, poison-free food – for our families, and for the marketplace.
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Print: $14.95 Download: $3.95 Nearly 60% of the earth's land surface receives twenty inches or less of annual rainfall– a parched percentage predicted to dramatically increase as global warming takes its toll on our environment. John Widtsoe's classic DRY-FARMING: A Complete System for Achieving Bountiful Harvests Where Rain is Scarce, and Without Irrigation shares scientifically proven, time-tested – and almost forgotten in our era – late 19th and early 20th Century methods for growing more and better crops using far less water. The key lies in smart soil, seed and plant management, following the100% chemical free, Earth friendly, "origiganic" Dry-Farming techniques outlined in this book. From the backyard garden to the hundred acre farm, whether you already reside in an arid region, or just want to prepare for looming climate change, DRY-FARMING: A Complete System for Achieving Bountiful Harvests Where Rain is Scarce, and Without Irrigation is an indispensable addition to your homestead library.
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Print: $16.95 Download: $3.95 Experts in the art and science of sustainable, eco-friendly beekeeping condemn "modern" commercial methods of large scale honey production for creating the poor state of health and general decline of honeybees in the 21st Century, and warn that only a return to the chemical-free traditional methods of the village, small-farm and backyard beekeeper can ensure that the bees, as well as our ability to harvest and enjoy fresh, pure honey, survive and thrive for generations to come. Mysteries of Beekeeping Explained was first published in 1853, and explains every aspect of traditional American 19th Century, pre-chemical-era beekeeping methodology, including the building and maintenance of hives, breeding, dealing with pests, swarming, harvesting honey, preparing bees for winter and much more. This classic reprint belongs in the permanent library of every homesteader, micro eco-farmer and backyard honeybee enthusiast.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Written in a chatty, reader-friendly style, If You're Going to Live in the Country employs stories from the author's own relocation to the country to illustrate practical information anyone who shares his dream of escaping the physical, mental and spiritual confinement of big city life can apply toward successfully following in his footsteps. With chapters on the "Do's & Don'ts" of selecting country property, financing the purchase, building VS remodeling, working with architects, builders and contractors, inspecting an old house, moving an old home to a new site, fireplace construction and maintenance, digging wells, sewage and septic systems, the well-equipped country kitchen, pets and livestock, preparing for winter, fire safety, what to do when things go wrong, and finding a pleasurable balance with the natural world, If You're Going to Live in the Country is a must-read for every urbanite who craves the greater peace and lessened pace of bucolic country living.
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Print: $14.95 Download: $3.95 So you've planted your garden, worked hard all summer, and brought in a bumper crop of fresh, delicious, healthy – and perishable! – produce… Now what? Grace Viall Gray's classic Every Step In Canning: The Cold-Pack Method holds the key to ensuring that your bountiful harvest blesses your family's dinner table all winter long! Learn tried and true methods for canning fruits, vegetables, meats and soups, making jellies, jams, fruit butters and marmalades, and even for curing, smoking and preserving meat, brining and pickling a variety of foods, and preserving eggs for use when the chickens stop laying. Plus, discover the best old world methods for safely storing fresh produce for use all winter without refrigeration or electricity! First published in 1920, Every Step In Canning: The Cold Pack Method is a treasure trove of food preservation and storage knowledge from our grandparents generation that is ripe for rediscovery by enlightened home gardeners today!
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Print: $39.95 Download: $24.95 Is your food budget out of control? The Better Days Books Frugal Food Bible can help, offering four timeless 19th and early 20th Century frugal food classics bound together in one practical, enlightening and entertaining omnibus collection: The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia M. Child (1832), Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them by C. Houston Goudiss (1918), Home Vegetable Gardening: A Complete And Practical Guide To The Planting And Care Of All Vegetables, Fruits And Berries Worth Growing For Home Use, by F. F. Rockwell (1911) and Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery: A Manual Of Cheap And Wholesome Diet, by A.G. Payne (1891). With over 400 pages of frugal food recipes, household hints, money saving tips, backyard gardening guidance and more, The Better Days Books Frugal Food Bible is a gift of practical wisdom from the past that no modern family can afford to be without during the hard economic times ahead.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Originally published in 1832, this extraordinary manual for the homemaker of modest means is far more than a mere "cookbook." In an age before electricity, refrigeration or any other modern convenience, the fine art of storing, preparing and serving food presented difficulties unimagined in our time, challenges our forebears mastered with ingenuity, hard work, the inherited knowledge of generations past, and the sheer American pluck required to make the cheerful best of any social or economic situation. Also included are instructions for making soap, beer and wine, for repairing worn clothing and furniture, for enduring poverty, and even for rightly educating one's daughters. A rich treasure trove of practical frontier knowledge, Lydia M. Child's The American Frugal Housewife is an essential volume for contemporary homesteaders, antiquarian collectors, and anyone who longs for a firsthand taste of real American history.
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Print: $11.95 Download: $3.95 An early Twentieth Century publication of New York and Chicago's Vaughan Seed Store, VAUGHAN'S VEGETABLE COOK BOOK: HOW TO COOK AND USE RARER VEGETABLES AND HERBS offers a wide range of delectable recipes drawn from the Chicago Herald-Record Newspaper, popular cook books of the era including "The Cook's Own Book," "The Household" and "Practical Housekeeping," and a variety of traditional French and German sources. This Better Days Books quality reprint edition is taken from the Third Printing of this popular title (1919), and reproduces the original cover in all its plain but timeless charm – including the original price of just 35 cents!
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Though it contains nearly 250 frugally delicious, food conserving recipes, Foods That Will Win the War and How to Cook Them is far more than a mere cookbook. At once educational and deeply inspiring, this World War One classic reveals the terrible human cost of wasting food, the power that lies in the hands of every family to make a real difference during times of world food crisis (such as we face today), and the practical steps even the humblest cook or family food budgeter can take to ensure the long-term food security of his or her own family, of our nation, and of the world all families share. Illustrated with vintage WWI era United States Food Administration food conservation posters, Foods That Will Win the War and How to Cook Them provides as much satisfaction to the eye as it is does to the conscience and the palate.
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Print: $8.95 Download: $3.95 A Better Days Books Home School Classic!
Phonics is not a method of teaching reading, but it is a necessary part of every good, modern method. It is the key to word mastery, and word mastery is one of the first essentials in learning to read. A knowledge of the sounds of letters, and of the effect of the position of the letter upon its sound, is an essential means of mastering the mechanics of reading, and of enabling children to become independent readers.
A knowledge of phonics not only gives power to pronounce new words, but it trains the ear, develops clear articulation and correct enunciation, and aids in spelling. Later, when diacritical marks are introduced, it aids in the use of the dictionary. The habit of attacking and pronouncing words of entirely new form, develops self-confidence in the child, and the pleasure he experiences in mastering difficulties without help, constantly leads to new effort.
-- From The Author’s Forward
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Print: $8.95 Download: $3.95 "Short, to the point, chock full of practical 'how to' information – and very affordable, to boot. Ethel M. Mairet's classic Vegetable Dyes: A Book of Recipes and Information Useful to the Dyer is far and away my all time favorite single-source natural dyeing handbook, a real must-have 'Dyer's Bible.'" – Jessica Martin, Award-Winning Fiber Artist.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 The fine art of hand-binding books, repairing old volumes, and taking proper care of bound works in a home or public library is a skill that has been all but forgotten in these high speed, hi-tech, computer driven days. But for all of us who still love the smell of the printed paper page, the feel of a cloth or leather cover lying open in our hands, and the comforting certainty that all our treasured tomes will remain forever available for our reading pleasure - even when the power fails! - this ancient and important art is one we can ill afford to leave to others to preserve. Douglas Cockerell's classic BOOKBINDING AND THE CARE OF BOOKS: A HANDBOOK FOR AMATEURS, BOOKBINDERS AND LIBRARIANS (original publication date 1910) provides a thoroughly explored and profusely illustrated single-volume course in Old World-style hand bookbinding and repair, written in accessible language aimed directly at the lay-craftsperson. A "must-have" volume for true bibliophiles everywhere!
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Print: $19.95 Download: $3.95 Originally published in 1910 as a manual for teachers of woodwork, William Noyes' HANDWORK IN WOOD to this day ranks among the all time best, most complete and practical primers on the tools and techniques of good, old fashioned "no electricity needed" hand tool carpentry. Whether you are headed "off the grid" or just off to the garage, with over 300 photographs and illustrations, HANDWORK IN WOOD is the only book the modern handyman with a taste for Old World craftsmanship and style will ever need.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Written in simple, easy to understand language, and illustrated with more than 300 detailed drawings, J. S. Zerbe's 1914 classic Carpentry for Boys remains to this day the single most comprehensive volume ever published for boys on the subject of good, old fashioned hand tool woodworking. With chapters on tools and their uses, how to grind and sharpen tools, laying out work, using the compass and the square, making joints, building roof trusses, the best woods for beginners, wood turning (complete with instructions for building your own simple turning lathe!), the proper use of stains and much, much more, Carpentry for Boys is an invaluable resource for budding carpenters of every age. While written for boys, adults just getting started in the "King of Trades" are sure to find approachable, yet genuinely useful instruction in these pages as well. Includes a glossary of nearly 200 woodworking terms.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 Every red-blooded American boy is fascinated by electricity, dreaming of all the creatures of imagination it might be made to power - robots, vehicles, radios, toys. After a certain age (10-12 years or so), many "boy scientists" and "boy inventors" move beyond mere imaginative play to hopes of truly understanding this invisible force of nature and taming it to their own creative purposes. J.S. Zerbe's 1914 classic Electricity for Boys is the ideal guide for the older boy who is ready to take the next step in learning. Through a series of hands-on projects that include making a battery, voltmeter, burglar alarm, telegraph, telephone, microphone and much, much more, the author explains everything a budding boy electrician, scientist or inventor needs to know in plain language that is fully illustrated by 200 detailed, original drawings. Contains an extensive glossary defining hundreds of electrical terms.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 J. S. Zerbe's Practical Mechanics for Boys presents a complete education in every dimension of no-nonsense, hands-on shop work that is written in approachable language appropriate to both the novice and the seasoned craftsmen. In addition to chapters exploring a variety of tools and their use, the process of designing, laying out and completing projects, fundamental devices like lacings, gears, valves and clutches, the properties of materials (elasticity, torsion, conductivity, etc.), and the basics of drafting and mechanical power, the author also shares insights on the process of becoming an inventor – turning ideas into objects, building models and prototypes, securing a patent and more. Over 100 original illustrations. Also contains 16 handy tables, dozens of formulas for making your own glues, cements, polishes, etc., and a glossary of more than 300 important mechanical terms.
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Print: $29.95 This lavishly illustrated collection gives clear instructions for "how-to-do" everything from properly using and maintaining tools, to designing, drafting and accomplishing projects on every scale (up to and including building, roofing, wiring and burglar-proofing a house!), to becoming an inventor, and following the step by step process required to carry a new idea all the way from first imaginings to working prototype to patent-protected product ready for the marketplace. Combining three vintage WWI era "How To" guides - Carpentry for Boys, Electricity for Boys, and Practical Mechanics for Boys - How To Do It! brings practical, hands-on woodworking, electrical and mechanical skills, not just to boys, but to adult would-be handymen (and women!) everywhere. With more than 400 pages of approachable instruction, and over 500 original illustrations, J. S. Zerbe's How To Do It! is the ultimate "How-To" manual for beginning "do-it-yourselfers" of any age.
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Print: $9.95 Download: $3.95 Originally published in 1877 – just 12 years after the Civil War ended – John M. Gould’s How to Camp Out: Practical Advice for the Outdoor Adventurer Based on the Experience of a Civil War Soldier is at once a down to Earth guide to recreational camping and a must-have, "you are there" handbook of 19th Century American military methods, sure to please any fan of Civil War reenactment. From Boy Scouts seeking to "rough it" in the wilderness to contemporary wearers of the Blue or the Gray, How to Camp Out: Practical Advice for the Outdoor Adventurer Based on the Experience of a Civil War Soldier is an indispensible addition to any well-stocked library of outdoor wisdom.
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Print: $15.95 Download: $4.95 Originally published in 1913, Camping for Boys is a classic "... handbook of suggestions for those in charge of camps for boys and for boys who go camping…" based on H. W. Gibson's 23 years of experience in the late 19th and early 20th Century "boys' camp movement," out of which arose such positive, character and culture-shaping organizations as the Boy Scouts of America. While aimed chiefly at leaders planning camp activities for groups of six to one hundred boys (especially Christian leaders hoping to build youthful character with an inspiring blend of outdoor fun, Bible study and Traditional moral instruction), Camping for Boys includes a treasure trove of exciting woodcraft lore sure to thrill every red-blooded American boy, with instructions for building tents and lean-to's, making – and using! – real bows and arrows, etc., along with useful lessons in Camp Cooking, Personal Hygiene, First Aid, Athletics, Games, Nature Study, Weather Forecasting and much, much more!
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Print: $9.95 Download: $3.95 First published in 1888, Play Ball! Everything You Need To Become The World's Best Baseball Player is a classic manual of the Great American Pastime, written by a champion professional ballplayer, team captain and manager. John Montgomery "Monte" Ward was a man of tremendous talent and personal integrity, and a true sports hero for his own time and ours.
This latest Better Days Books Growing up Great Guide for American Boys is a practical and inspiring beginner’s guide to understanding the "nuts and bolts" of America’s favorite game (the rules, the layout of the field, the domain and duties of each position, etc.), and an indispensible handbook aspiring stars of the field, mound and batter's box can employ toward the achievement of their highest potential as players. Includes valuable tips on training and diet, how and when to steal bases (and how to know when to stay put!), the mechanics of pitching an unhittable curve ball and more!
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Print: $16.95 Download: $4.95 Industry, Ambition, Self Control, Self-Respect, Courage, Duty, Honesty, Enthusiasm, Humility, Patriotism… In every era of our Nation's history, the true alchemy by which ordinary boys have been transformed into Great American Men has occurred only where these indispensable moral principles have been applied. In an age where such manly ideals are openly derided by popular culture, it's time to turn to the past for a clear vision of what it takes to be a Great American, and the true moral and ethical ladder that leads to its attainment.
You Can Be a Great American: 39 Steps to True and Lasting Greatness was first published in 1900, under the title The True Citizen, How to Become One, and contains 39 essential lessons in manhood tailored to each age and transition in a boy's life. It is the clearest road map to Greatness ever compiled for the youth of our Nation, and remains as life-changing today as it was when first published, over 100 years ago.
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Print: $11.95 Download: $3.95 Originally published in 1910, Alfred Rochefort's HEALTHFUL SPORTS FOR BOYS is an optimistic "Can Do!" prescription for the kind of vigorous, competitive, yet thoroughly wholesome boyhood that for more than two centuries has reliably bred great American men of character, courage and good common sense. In our 21st Century, "post-modern" era of video games, virtual reality and "couch potato kids," Rochefort's vision of active boys creating fun with their own minds and muscles is a reminder of everything great about boys and about America, and a Clarion Call to a new generation to "get up and get great!" -- Before it's too late!
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Print: $16.95 Download: $3.95 In a time when traditional manly virtues like courage, perseverance, loyalty, honor, the importance of physical strength and martial skill, and (dare we say it!) true, selfless Chivalry have been all but forgotten by American society, there can be no better role model for contemporary boys than the great historical and legendary figure of Arthur, King of the Britons.
This classic collection of Arthurian Tales includes both the complete British adventures of King Arthur and His Knights and their generally more mysterious Welsh counterparts, as recounted in the Mabinogeon. Here, also, are the sagas of many great heroes of the British race, including the Danish monster-slayer, Beowulf, Cuchulain, the Champion of Ireland, and the beloved Anglo-Saxon archer/bandit/hero, Robin Hood. Recounted as exciting adventure stories, in plain English, Thomas Bulfinch’s THE AGE OF CHIVALRY is the most complete – and inspirational – compilation of Arthurian lore available in this or any age.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 When leading children to an abiding faith in Jesus Christ, it is not enough to know what to teach. One must also know how to teach, using materials and techniques which, at every stage of a child’s development, respect the maturity, emotional needs and varied learning styles of our children. There is no substitute for mastery of the teaching process. Prayerful consecration cannot take its place. Ready command of the methods of teaching, on the other hand, is in no sense equivalent to having been "called" or "chosen" to teach religion. The two must go hand in hand. LEADING CHILDREN TO FAITH: A MANUAL OF EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR CONTEMPORARY CHURCH AND HOME SCHOOL TEACHERS offers an exceptional opportunity to become a more effective Christian educator, applying the best educational science to the problems of religious instruction, without for a moment forgetting that a vital religious experience is the final goal of all teaching.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 The difference between the true storyteller, bringing a tale to full and vibrant life with her voice and body and gestures, and the parent or teacher who merely reads the same story aloud from a book is, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. And no manual of storytelling technique has ever done a better job of defining that difference, and of outlining a step-by-step path anyone can follow to becoming a mesmerizing master weaver of tales, than Sara Cone Bryant's 1916 classic How to Tell Stories to Children. Whether your intended audience is your own children and family, students in a school or daycare center, or even adults (every aspiring preacher, politician, actor and historical reenactment enthusiast should study this book!), the practical techniques shared in How to Tell Stories to Children are sure to boost your confidence and electrify your performance. Includes 33 tales in ready-to-present dramatic storyteller format.
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Print: $13.95 Download: $3.95 The perfect "cabin fever" companion for energetic children cooped up indoors during the long winter months - or in urban settings where outdoor play is unsafe or unsavory year round - Clarence Squareman's 1916 classic MY BOOK OF INDOOR GAMES shares rules and clear play instructions for nearly 200 games, puzzles, riddles and tricks with which children of all ages can actively and intelligently amuse themselves without need for computers, video game play systems or TV. Many of these games are so old as to have been long forgotten by present generations - allowing them to be rediscovered and made "new again" by children today. A great "idea book" for homeschool groups, teachers, child care staff or anyone who truly cares about caring for children, MY BOOK OF INDOOR GAMES is your child's ticket to unending imaginative fun. The vintage cover and numerous interior illustrations make this book a great nostalgia piece for grown-ups, as well!
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