Synopses & Reviews
A modern and energetically designed encyclopedia of DIY with everything you need to know to roll up your sleeves and cook it, build it, sew it, clean it, or repair it yourself. In other words, everything you would have learned from your shop and home ec teachers, if you'd had them.
The Useful Book features 138 practical projects and how-tos, with step-by-step instructions and illustrations, relevant charts, sidebars, lists, and handy toolboxes. There’s a kitchen crash course, including the must-haves for a well-stocked pantry; how to boil an egg (and peel it frustration-free); how to grill, steam, sauté, and roast vegetables. There’s Sewing 101, plus how to fold a fitted sheet, tie a tie, mop a floor, make a bed, and set the table for a formal dinner.
Next up: a 21st-century shop class. The tools that everyone should have, and dozens of cool projects that teach fundamental techniques. Practice measuring, cutting, and nailing by building a birdhouse. Make a bookshelf or a riveted metal picture frame. Plus: do-it-yourself plumbing; car repair basics; and home maintenance, from priming and painting to refinishing wood floors.
Synopsis
Part first-time homeowners’ guide (how to replace a fuse), part cooking instruction manual (how to wash lettuce and keep it crisp), part stockpile of advice from Mom and Dad (removing stains, changing your oil), this encyclopedia of life skills comes packaged as a fully illustrated, easy-to-follow book. It’s a survival guide of sorts, full of 138 step-by-step projects—how to tie a tie, boil water, iron a shirt, build a doghouse, rewire a lamp, make a dingy T-shirt white again, prime a surface for painting, jump a battery—to teach readers practical skills of woodworking, cooking, sewing, plumbing, electricity, cleaning, and more. Full of sidebars, lists, and bonus how-tos, like the top ten items that should be in every wardrobe (for men and women), how to wash lettuce, and how to shorten (and lengthen) a hem. A complete book for those who are just starting out in life—without home ec and shop class on their résumé—as well as those whose skills might have grown a little rusty over time.
About the Author
David Bowers is the co-author of
Bake Like a Man: A Real Man’s Cookbook and author of
Dad's Own Housekeeping. He writes “The Grillmaster” column for
Cabin Life magazine, and was the “Jake” of
Glamour magazine’s “Jake: A Man’s Opinion.” He’s a stay-at-home dad who lives in New York with his wife (co-author Sharon Bowers) and their two children.
Sharon Bowers is the author of Ghoulish Goodies and Candy Construction. She has also been a producer at the Food Network's website, where she created many easy and stylish kid-friendly recipes for holidays and other special occasions. This is their first book together.