two of my favorite how-to books were written and illustrated by the same man: Patrick m Royce - Trailer-boating Illustrated and Sailing Illustrated. i've had both of these books for 20+ years, they've survived the culling of many years of moves because of their value.
Posted by wayne sulecki on April 24, 2007 at 5:05 AMThese folks visited us a few weeks back to work on their website. It's a YouTube style site that has nothing but how to videos. So the worlds best how-to is How to make yet another Web 2.0 site. See http://www.videojug.com
Posted by Douglas Smith on March 13, 2007 at 1:37 PMTo learn a new subject, start by reading childrens books about the subject; they're written at a wonderfully basic level, which often otherwise we're never given as a knowledge base to build upon.
For real estate investing, try all of George Bockl's books; a great teacher and a decent, ethical man. Out of print but easily found.
Posted by Vincent Crisci on December 20, 2006 at 1:29 PMThe most informative, easy-to-understand explanation of basic music theory you will ever see-- "Woman to Woman Guitar" (for men, too), an instructional video by Charlotte Adams. She also self-publishes some amazing materials for learning to play guitar, especially her practice cards. If you have ever tried to follow other instructors you will appreciate her dedication to her students and ability to deliver answers you didn't even know how to ask questions for.
http://www.guitar-instruction-video.com/
I can't believe that the How-To of How-To's hasn't been mentioned yet: The Popular Mechanics Do-It-Yourself Encyclopedia circa the late 1940's/early 1950's. As a kid I spent endless hours pouring over a set (bound in red) that my grandfather owned, and eventually he gave them to me. I have them today!
The PM DIY Encyclopedia dates to that post-war era when for many families "DIY" and resourcefulness was a necessity. Other publications of that era are the same, such a the Boy Scout Fieldbook and various merit badge handbooks. They are infused with a sense that the common person can do anything!
Posted by John Erickson on December 4, 2006 at 6:20 PM
Al Stohlmans Series on LeatherCrafting.
Starting with "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather", through 3 volumes of "The Art Of Making Leather Cases" and then his series on Saddlemaking "Encyclopedia of Saddle Making" in 3 volumes. And numerous single titles on Leatherworking Tools, Patterns, and other aspects of the Craft.
I mention these because Mr. Stohlman was not only a Master Craftsman, but was a Masterful Illustrator, who, too, had that "knack" for explaining seemingly difficult operations simply, clearly and with style. I often think of what he could have accomplished in other fields. I honestly think he could have had someone doing Neuro Surgery with one of his illustrated books, they are that clear and simple. ;-) They can be found at Amazon and Tandy Leather and many other Leatherworking Supply Houses. He was known for answering mail by sending illustrated samples of the work procedure being explained, out of the actual materials, sort of real "cut aways" to show how the technique in question was done! How I wish now I would have written him once with a question!
Check out his work sometime and you will see what I mean.
And I see someone already mentioned Lindsey's Books. A treasure trove of "How To" books from all over and all times, there is way more there than just Dave Gingery's stuff! Highly Recommended!
DJ
Posted by DJ Moss on November 16, 2006 at 6:35 PMThanks for providing this space for exploration of the learning/teaching/learning dynamic.
Working as a university teacher myself, I'm constantly learning about this ancient and truly noble interaction between the student and the teacher. I'm going to make this recommendation because I've often wondered how I could connect Kevin Kelly with the greatest teacher I've ever met.
And that is Andrew Cohen.
He has books but the full multi-dimensional experience is best explored up close and personal.
Since others have mentioned Ekhart Tolle, I'll say that Cohen builds on Tolle's profound understanding of the perennial knowledge.
Mo
I too am a BIG fan of how-to resources, and hope to be a provider of specifics for industrial design / product design & development.
Carol mentioned Instructables:
http://www.instructables.com/
Howstuffworks is the classic!
Natalie Jerimijenko is a very interesting person (look her up) and check out HSIM (How Stuff Is Made):
http://www.howstuffismade.org/
I also like the visual dictionaries -- they're fun!
Another new paradigm/site for learning is NanoLearning:
http://www.nanolearning.com/
This is a great site I found after reading about "peak oil". Excellent how tos such as making fire or building your own igloo.
Posted by Ben on November 3, 2006 at 8:06 PMKayak: The Animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater Technique by the late, great William Nealy. This is an INCREDIBLE How-To book even if you've never been tempted to sit in a kayak and hurtle through some rapids. There are loads of drawings, that succinctly explain complex topics such as turbulent water flow and kayaking maneuvers. The book also includes an animation in the lower right hand corner (flip-book style) to demonstrate how to do an Eskimo Roll. William Nealy has a great sense of humor. The book is very lively - even the characters demonstrating the maneuvers in the drawings have wonderful expressions on their faces. Why is it that the illutrations of people in most how-to books show blank, bored, or just plain serious faces?
Posted by Al Raschdorf on October 26, 2006 at 12:37 AMOne man's best how-to is another's big question mark. I have always had a difficult time learning from instructions, verbal or written. I am not sure exactly how I learn, but the synapses require a certain combination of seeing, doing and feeling to connect. My first ski instructor began the first lesson by asking how I learned, and adjusting his instruction accordingly, an experience which I will always remember. Written instruction will of course usually be tailored to the author's expectation of learning style.
Posted by james on October 22, 2006 at 5:17 AMI also consume vast quantities of "how to" material in every format conceivable. Some of the more complex subjects, or those requiring a great deal of physical involvement, obviously work best on video. That being said, the masters of the particular format seem to have warmth, charisma, and an odd paternal/maternal presence. Remember what a cool cat Carl Sagan was? Carl explained deep subjects with such excitement and reverence for the topic while maintaining a respect for the audience.
Relatability is also important. There must be a connection between teacher and student. Besides injecting the critical element of respect, a master trainer/teacher has a very good handle on what it is like to do something for the first time.
two books that are my favorite don't-ever-get-rid-of-manuals: "the complete metalsmith - an illustrated handbook" by Tim McCreight - GREAT - covers simple and compicated things concisely and clearly, good step by step; I find myself referring to it for other things, like how to make a cone of a specific size, for instance....
Molly Bang's "Picture This" - Children's book writer gives clear instruction on picture composition to achieve an effect - superb! Good for artists and illustrators(sadly, out of print)
There is a 3d, but I can't remember the exact name, it's from ten speeed press, re: making all kinds of musical instruments. I'll look it up and re-submit.
I strongly recommend the Cooks Illustrated magazine and website. Not only are the tips and tricks submitted from readers often worth the price of the magazine itelf but the writers and cooks explain to you how particular recipes evolve, and illustrate common mistakes that often affect the success of the dish. It's like someone has experimented with different ingredients, cooking methods, equipment and then published the best way to cook the food. All rather obvious really considering it's a test kitchen but I really like the way the information is presented and I have yet to find a better way to cook a fillet mignon. Great reviews on equipment, rating function against price, very good illustrations and no ads.
Posted by Tim on August 31, 2006 at 5:23 PMCooking for engineers is a GREAT how-to site. Instead of having only long confusing recipes, at the bottom he has a recipe card with logical short hand instructions. Like check out this recipe for Baked Cinnamon Apple. http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe.php?id=103&title=Baked+Cinnamon+Apple
It has pictures, instructions and then a logical recipe card.
Juggling for the Complete Klutz Kit
I'm a complete klutz, and I learned to juggle using the book and juggling balls provided. There are a series of simple exercises that if followed exactly you will learn to juggle.
Posted by Melissa on August 16, 2006 at 4:32 PMTotal Immersion - The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster and Easier by Terry Laughlin
along with it's laminated pool-side companion
By reading this book and following it's steps exactly I was able to relearn how to swim the crawl after having swum it for over 15 years. He was able to create exercises which gave a far better balance in the water and too shift focus from the arms to the large back muscles. After reading the book, I was able to swim using far less exertion than before, and used fewer strokes to gain the same distance. Having a laminated guide with illustrations to take to the pool was a stroke of genius.
THE best anti-procrastination/do it now book is Neil Fiore's book The Now Habit. I used to procrastinate all the time and the book saved my bacon in grad school. I was also influenced by his message of self acceptance and joy in other areas of my life. It is a really good book.
(Right now on Amazon it is paired with Getting Things Done- also a good book.)
Posted by April on August 16, 2006 at 1:00 AMHow To Draw:
Betty Dodson's "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" helped me immensely as a teenager. I can't vouch for the theoretical end of it, but that doesn't matter to me. The exercises work.
How To Think and Question:
Old Whole Earth Catalogues
George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language"
How To Start Carpentry:
"The Carpenter's Manifesto", by Jeffrey Ehrlich and Marc Mannheimer, presents basic theory and practice very well. I'll admit I don't have experience with other manuals like this, but I think that's because there aren't any :)
Lastly, a modern classic in terse coolness:
How To Fold A Shirt. I saw, I practiced, I do.
An amusing technique I have only noticed recently, works wonders for cementing new knowledge in the minds of adults. Simply use a sexual analogy - it sticks in the brain instantly!
The link given explains a complex computer programming concept (not worth reading if you dont program) in dirty language. I understood the concept instantly...yet without that analogy I know it would have been too much to understand.
A similar trick has been tried with teaching kids to read if they show no interest. Works well with boys - just show them a book with words like "bum" in it....or featuring a character that does something rude (i.e. normal bodily functions). Suddenly the child is interested!
Posted by Mags on June 16, 2006 at 9:52 AMwell, frankly, you are the best non-teacher and non-classroom I've never met. Just had to throw that out there.
But there's the "encyclopedia of country living"
http://www.carlaemery.com/country-living-book.htm
which you may know about. And one hell of a crazy, but amazing book is the "'No-Cook" Book, by John H. Tobe. First printed in '69, it has a menu plan and recipes of all raw food for every day, and even features raw meat for dinner every third day.
example:
breakfast: carrot/celery/parsley/beet/cucumber juice
lunch: salad & avocado w/ yogurt dressing
dinner: marinated tuna
sweetened almond milk
dessert: banana ice cream
yum. although I think I'd throw in some soaked rice, a boiled egg and well, a ton of cooked food.
okay, take care, bye.
Posted by laurel kirtz on June 10, 2006 at 10:37 AMThe "Rocks and Shoals", aka the Articles for the Government of the United States Navy (1930), I think quallifies as legendary, extraordinary, amazingly great how-to guidance.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq59-6.htm
An old-school government manual for flight instructors is the best how-to guide for teaching, learning, communication and professionalism I have come across (it says almost nothing about aviation). It's called "The Aviation Instructors Handbook"; the full text is available at http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/media/FAA-H-8083-9.pdf
Posted by Ronald Fuller on May 21, 2006 at 3:24 AMThe most effective early phonics to early reading program is www.headsprout.com. One of the founders was the person at apple charged with insuring consumers were able to take the Mac out of the box and have it operating in 20 minutes or less. Works equally well for English language learners. I wrote "How to Sleep on Airplanes" a practical guide to doing so. Judge it for yourself.
Mahalo
Posted by John Stallcup on May 14, 2006 at 6:04 PMThe best book for learning art is Betty Edwards' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", http://www.drawright.com/.
By "learning art", I mean learning how to create art not talk about it, and this book has been a best-seller for over 15 years for good reason.
Some are put off by her New-Agey art theories, but they work whether you believe in them or not.
Posted by Corvus on April 30, 2006 at 3:48 AMGingery, David J.,
"Build a Complete Metalworking Shop from Scrap"
http://lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/series/index.html
A series of small paperbacks, crudely produced and in need of an editor. But they truly guide you through recreating the Industrial Age in your own back yard.
Posted by Mike Morrow on March 9, 2006 at 10:06 PMFrom the site:
Instructables is a venue for showing what you make and how others can make it.
Making things is part of being human. Whether you make bikes, kites, food, clothing, protocols for biology research, or hack consumer electronics, good instructions are critical.
Instructables is a step-by-step collaboration system that helps you record and share your projects with a mixture of images, text, ingredient lists, CAD files, and more. We hope to make documentation simple and fast. Show your colleagues how to operate a machine, show your friends how to build a kayak, show the world how to make cool stuff.
Living "Off the grid" seems effortless after watching www.alternativepowervideo.com. I've been to his house, he's doing everything that he says he is, and more!
Posted by jeff thomas on February 17, 2006 at 8:01 PMread victor hugo's Toilers of the Sea. How to survive and triumph over a shipwreck...after this book one is not the same.
Also, Goshin No Rho- Miyamoto Musashi's Book of 5 Rings
Hands Down VW HOLY GRAIL- http://www.thesamba.com/vw/
woodworking-traditional techniques-handmade machines
Fine woodworking Magazine #1-20 (taunton press)
Food for the brain- old whole earth catalogs
New Parents- what to expect the first years
VERY COOL HOW-TOS-http://lindsaybks.com/
Posted by daniel on January 19, 2006 at 4:12 AM"The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. The distillation of every memory course worth reading. For about $8 paperback.
A clear-cut owner's manual for the brain.
********************
"Richard's Bicycle Book" by Richard Ballantine, Ballantine Press, about 1972.
Before this book bicycle repair was still a form of sorcery and alchemy.
One of the best learning sites for kids is
Posted by Peter Großmann on September 3, 2005 at 2:03 AMCheck out the book "Renovating Woman" by Allegra Bennett.
Top choice for chicks with a do-it-yourself streak, and it'll keep ya laughing the whole way with her true-life stories.
Posted by Nicole Jones on August 1, 2005 at 3:44 PM
Jon Udell, technology commentator at InfoWorld magazine, is one of the best explainers I've come across. His "screencasts" have a very high signal to noise ratio.
Posted by Phil Shapiro on July 17, 2005 at 11:07 PMI want to offer a "second" for "How to Keep Your Volkswagon Alive". I had never touched a socket wrench, but after I blew up the motor of VW van outside of Flagstaff I had to. John Muir gave me the confidence to confront a technical jungle and survive. He advises you to keep a collection of tools ready and if your VW fails in the middle of nowhere "smile because you are ready".
Posted by David Whitney on June 23, 2005 at 9:59 PMThe Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
by Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas
* about 2D animation
* narrative-style guide on how Disney used to bring stuff to life (back in the Snow White days).
* big, thick
"The Art of the Stonemason" by Ian Cramb is a classic. Straightforward and elegant, everything you need to know about putting one stone on top of another. I've been through many tons of stone with only Ian's stern Scottish advice to guide me. Never looked back.
I don't remember where I heard it, but the best short course I've seen on dry-stack stonework is this:
1. Gravity always works.
2. If a stone can move, it will.
Pretty much everything you need to ensure a wall is still there for people born after you die.
Some Cookbooks are very didactic. I like "Paprika" by Tommy Lapid (my copy is in Hebrew).
TI-55 calculator (it is very old, maybe 1990) handbook for statistical calculations. Very good: shows step by step calculation of averages, standard deviation, correlation and so on.
"Poses sexuales" An illustrated guidebook about sex positions, in Spanish, very practical and clear. Somebody took it from my library a few years ago, I do not remember the author.
Standard Methods is a good book for self thought chemists.
Posted by jaimito on May 14, 2005 at 6:04 PMYou are probably already aware of the new O'Reilly Press magazine "Make", but if not it looks to be great source of how-to projects, well designed lessons to learn skills (I was always a terrible solderer (?) until I followed the lesson in the first issue, and became an adequate one.), and useful tips and ideas. Subscriptions are a bit pricey, but over the long run, the up-side appears worth the investment.
Posted by Mark Bigham on April 20, 2005 at 4:49 PMOne of the greatest how-to's in living things is the sense of feeling. It is not a text exactly, but it is a non-teacher/non-classroom education utility. It teaches us not to walk in to walls or bite off our own hands, through the sensation of pain. It is one of the first things people learn, and really works more like a "How-not-to," but I think you might find this relevant to your query.
Posted by jonathan horvat on April 5, 2005 at 4:07 PMTwo books that are at least fun to read but also contain soime useful tidbits about a lot of odd subjects are "Rules of Thumb" and "Rules of Thumb 2" by Tom Parker.
"The number of bugs in computer software decreases exponentially with each repair, since each repair contains about the same percentage of errors as the original code.
"The lower the barometer, the better the fishing.
"One trained dog equals sixty search-and-rescue workers."
The TV show Good Eats. Provides a cogninitive framework for the underlying mechanisms of cooking, and makes it fun, with unexpected jolts of humor. Smart scripts, well executed camera work.
Posted by Jeff Winkler on March 28, 2005 at 6:55 PMI am an avid surfer, but began it late in life (25)
It is a sport with an unusual learning curve - in that after 7 years, I still feel I am learning as fast as I was when I began, unlike the usual plateau, there is not a great deal of worthwhile how-to books on the subject, although plenty have been written. The best I have found is 'TB's Book of Hot Surfing' Entertaining too...
baby book by dr sears
Posted by sodens on March 14, 2005 at 6:58 PMVegtarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison
Hopping Freight Trains in America by Duffy Littlejohn
Here's a pubishing house of "How to...." books. May be of some use ..
Posted by Dave Atherton on March 5, 2005 at 1:23 PMDe'vo from Superhandz.com offers the best instructional method for card manipulation that is out there. It goes through the moves very slowly picking them apart visually with some text to reinforce certain ideas. The moves look impossible the first time you see them but after his instruction they are completely demystified.
Posted by derek_ on March 2, 2005 at 9:22 PMThere's a German series of technical encyclopaedias called How It Works which are often held up by designers as masterpieces of clarity. They describe quite difficult concepts, like how colour TV operates, in a single page.
One of the best books on computers ever is a children's book published here in the UK in the 1970s called The Ladybird book of Computers.
Decades later it was still a set text for computer science courses over here, as it's amazingly clear. It also has beautiful illustrations from one of the all-time great illustrators, John Berry.
LMK if you're interested, I'll post you some scans.
Posted by brian millar on March 1, 2005 at 2:03 PMFor how2s check out
www.hackaday.com for really cool techy hacks and projects, make linux powered weather baloons and the like.
For the kids check out
www.howtoons.net
Cool printable cartoons on making your own airzookas, hoverboards, bending light. Printable and great for teachers and parents that are a bit lost during the holidays.
I like to think that we publish the best "how-to" books on the filmmaking process: from script writing and development, through camera, directing actors, editing, financing, marketing...the whole arc of creation.
Particularly check out Chris Vogler's The Writer's Journey and Steve Katz' Shot by Shot.
Posted by Michael Wiese on January 25, 2005 at 11:58 AMThis is not the best I have ever seen, but, I use this site quite often:
I also like their style of humor.
L
Posted by L on January 15, 2005 at 3:39 PMFirst and foremost you should always go to England to find the best in educational publishing. After running an environmental education resource centre in Canada for ten years I became quite aware that most of the best educational resources come from the UK.
My most recent find is a series of art education books by Top That Publishing from the UK.
http://www.topthatpublishing.com/ukkids/catalog/series.asp?seriesid=5
My eight year-old son has quickly developed new watercolour skills and has become familiar with various techniques and materials. A 12-week art course would not be able to duplicate his engagement or retention levels.
Posted by John Tersigni on January 14, 2005 at 7:46 PMEdward Tufte
Yale University
Several Great Books on Presenting Information
The Beyond the black stump, is a web site that is an index to many How to web sites. Hobbies, Geneology, Tutorials on computers, Hints with games, Crossword Puzzles, I am sure that you will find what your looking for at the Black Stump. I am very confident that every newbie to the web should start their journey at this wonderful web site. www.blackstump.com.au
Kevin Kelly you are a Genius.
For learning languages quickly, I highly recommend the Pimsleur series. (Expensive but worth it.) I've used the Russian and the Italian with great success for trips and for working with international groups. I've also used one of their methods (start with the last syllable, then add each preceding one until you put the whole word together: -ance, -lance, -bulance, ambulance!) to help my 22-month-old daughter learn words that she wants to pronounce - it's amazing to watch it work.
Your question also brought to mind Inner Skiing by Timothy Gallwey and Bob Kriegel. I used tips from it to improve my own amateur racing and then watched as little suggestions gleaned from the book helped my mom and others leapfrog ahead. It re-focuses your mental energy on noticing what you are actually doing, instead of on *trying* to do something different. Then the needed changes tend to fall into place.
Fun question!
Rosetta Stone is an amazing tool to learn languages. It is CD based. You are presented with many pictures and texts and voices but all you do is CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. So you basically learn like a kid who figures out what is what when mommy points at things and asks and points and names them.
They have many languages packs, I am learning Mandarin. I know my way aroiund languages - speak several myself and did some teaching too. But I have never seen anything like Rosetta Stone.
http://www.rosettastone.com
A book by a man named Michael Korda that was printed in the 1970's called: Power: How to get it, How to Use it! I used to frequent an out-of-print bookstore and buy books by the box and I came across this gem. What made the book so good was that it wasn't written in ambiguous generalities, nor designed to change a person's soul and make someone behave differently... it was micro-specific in its detail: Which watches indicate power to others and why? A: nice-looking, yet plain watches with no second hand and no numbers. People naturally assume the more important someone is the less they should be bothered by a watch with a second hand or numbers since all they need is to have a guesstimate on which quarter-hour it is. What type of shoes will always indicate importance no matter the current fashion trend? How to make your office or cubicle exude the feeling of influence to others even if you have no window and are not in the corner of the floor? The book goes on repeatedly with micro-examples that a person can apply immediately. An excellent and fascinating read.
Posted by Dave on October 23, 2004 at 12:38 PMRicky Jay's CARDS AS WEAPONS. I'm a hopeless klutz in the hand/eye coordination sphere, but the humor and clear descriptions in this book delight me at every reading.
Scott McCloud's UNDERSTANDING COMICS explained all about what happened between the panels, appealing to my love of knowing what's going on in the brain while being creative.
Also, Kevin Lynch's WHAT TIME IS THIS PLACE? All about how our internal sense of time works and how it can be at odds with external, objective timekeeping.
It's been many years, but I still fondly remember A WRITER'S TIME by Kenneth Atchity, as well as TIME MANAGEMENT FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON by Lee Silber.
And Wikipedia. Couldn't live without it these days, feels like.
Suzette Haden Elgin's Verbal Self Defense books gave me a new way of viewing other people's actions and statements.
Most Lonely Planet guidebooks are quite useful. And often funny. I think humor is integral to the way I learn.
Posted by Edd Vick on October 20, 2004 at 1:44 AMHow to books was something I was thinking about the other day - and remembering right before (at least for me) there were any around - everything in my world was learn by doing and I have tended to stick with that more or less in most cases - have you tried that lately?
Posted by Walter Paul Bebirian on October 16, 2004 at 11:11 PMType "bike fitting" into Google and this page will come up on top (for good reason):
How to Fit a Bicycle
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.
It's a how to that deepens your knowledge of the subject while letting you adapt the knowledge to your particular situation. It has been refined over time, and reflects on-going practical experience.
High-octane info.
Posted by Andy Breeding on October 14, 2004 at 3:14 AMThe Impoverished Student's Book of Cookery, Drinkery, & Housekeepery by Jay Rosenberg may be a little weak on the Drinkery and Housekeepery, but it's great on cookery: the last time I lent my copy it took a year for me to get it back. So far as I know it's only available through the bookstore at Reed College--the author wrote it as a grad student there, I believe.
The Big Yellow Drawing Book by Dan O'Neill is the best drawing book for kids that I've seen--it may have originated as a classroom book, but it's too good to leave out. Rapid Viz by Kurt Hanks, Larry Belliston, Philip Gerould and Kurt Banks is a nice approach for adults, but the best one-page guide to drawing I've ever seen is one by Jack Cole which is reprinted in The Steranko History of Comics by Jim Steranko--I'm not sure if it was Volume 1 or Volume 2.
Posted by Bruce E. Durocher II on October 2, 2004 at 9:15 PMDon't laugh, but the mag Smart Computing which you can find on most newstands and grocery stores is really incredible. Short articles, timely and very easy to read. Every time I think to myself that I am well-past the stage of novice, I'll pick up an issue and say, hey, I never knew that!
Posted by Robert Nagle on September 18, 2004 at 1:19 PMHow to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0028610105/qid=1095273178/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-5088378-6352757?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
I would definitely give this book to anyone starting a home along with Joy of Cooking. The book has a good chapter on basic equipment to get for your kitchen, it's well indexed and the recipes are simple and tasty.
Posted by Hulda on September 15, 2004 at 8:00 PMHulda,
You sound like the kind of chick I'd hang out with. Here's another one for your library...and for men who wish to prepare their daughters for the BIG world.
"The Action Heroine's Handbook" (by Jennifer Worick and Joe Borgenicht)
it contains such insights as
_How to win a catfight
_Choke a man with your bare thighs
_How to outwit Sasquatch: "Bigfoot's not playing games anymore". Great tip: Create a distraction by throwing a stick away from the Sasquatch, toward the forest.
_How to keep your cool under interrogation
Fabulous wit with great How To's!
Best "How To Find A Partner"
http://www.sew-beautiful.us/hopefulromantic
Posted by Jane Langdon on August 31, 2004 at 12:42 PMIn Douglas Adams' Salmon of Doubt he wrote a a very clever description of how to make tea.
The author George Orwell also wrote a very clever guide to making tea during the second world war. I found it in a collection of Orwell essays.
Both How-To's provide an accurate description of how to perform the basic procedure(boiling water, warming the pot), variations on the theme (types of tea, the addition of sugar), and an appeal to the reader, most likely American non-tea drinkers, to try it themselves.
Good How-to's provide advice and ecouragement to people those pursuing some task.
Great How-to's attract people to some task they would have never thought to pursue AND provides advice and encouragment in their pursuit.
Good: the Joy of Cooking
Great: the New Testament
Posted by Samson on August 11, 2004 at 11:25 PM
I did some preliminary research into the semiotics of self help computer books. I would say one very useful recent book I looked at in that study of my computer self help books was Linux for Dummies a very good book. My study is at www.webpagex.org. I would say for classical self help a teacher I have never met but taught me something that is actually lessons taught all over our Western world is Plato.
Posted by Peter Timusk B.Math on August 7, 2004 at 4:16 AMForgot to add the amazing 'How to be a Gardener' online course:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/index.shtml
Here are my favorites:)
Prepare To Cook by Mary Cadogan
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/051745596X/
The Great International Paper Airplane Book
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1578660289/
The Hand-Sculpted House: A Philosophical and Practical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1890132349/
How To Write Usable User Documentation by Edmond H. Weiss
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0897746392/
Percy Thrower's first-time gardening
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=5057567&ptit=Percy%20Thrower%27s%20first%2Dtime%20gardening&pauth=Thrower%2C%20Percy&pisbn=&pbest=18%2E84&pbestnew=1000000%2E00&pqty=1&pqtynew=0&matches=1&qsort=r
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide by John Seymour
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789493322/
A somewhat oblique suggestion: the out of print book Enjoyment of Laughter (1936) by Max Eastman. He wrote it in the way he felt textbooks should be written, mimicking the way we naturally learn about something new: seeing it in broad outlines, then in greater detail, with the new information adding to and fitting in with the old. The book is written in iterations, starting with the short-and-general (the first chapter is a one-page summary of the book) and becoming progressively longer and more detailed.
Eastman is a fascinating character in his own right: a son of clergy who became an early American Marxist, editor of the seminal magazine The Masses, friend and translator of Trotsky, but became disillusioned with socialism became a conservative/libertarian and was a founding editor of National Review.
Posted by Jay Cornell on July 23, 2004 at 6:51 AM"The Complete Metalsmith: An Illustrated Handbook" by Tim McCreight.
Any of the books on information design by Edward Tufte; these are usually cited as a how-to resource for creating information displays (and rightly so), but they are also very useful in terms of learning how not to be manipulated by them.
This is a very good book to assist in writing a novel:
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews25136.html
Zen -- yes, a how to live classic
I'll check out Stress Management (although I am one of the least stressed persons you'll ever meet).
Tizag (www.tizag.com) is pretty nifty.
Thanks!
Posted by Kevin Kelly on July 17, 2004 at 6:12 PMFor an introduction to basic html and css I don't think you can beat Tizag - very clear layout and navigation with superb tutorials.
There are a few typos but you quickly forget these because the content is so good.
Consider an audio tape program "Stress Management for Managers and Professionals" by Roger Mellott. Was distributed by a company called Career Track, but I think it's now out of print.
I have listened to quite a few audiotape series for self-improvement, and this one is a standout.
It's about 5 or 6 hours of content representing an edited version of a 1 day training course.
There isn't a "canon" for stress management, but Mellott's content is well centered in common sense. More importantly, he has a knack for making the content real so that (a) you as a listener connect with it at an emotional level and (b) you retain it. One technique (remember, this is an audio tape) is to paint very vivid word pictures; for example, he tells the story of Asian monkey traps. These traps are like birdcages. The hunter puts a banana inside the trap and fastens it to a tree. Monkeys come by, reach in, and grasp the banana. The bars prevent them from getting their hands out without letting go of the banana, so that the hunter comes by later and captures the monkey. Mellott's question -- how many of us are holding on to bananas???
Posted by Brad on July 14, 2004 at 10:24 PMZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
Its not really a how-to book, but taught me a lot about Zen.. and life.
Its pretty much like a how-to on life.
Posted by vivek on July 13, 2004 at 5:30 PMI had not heard of Working Alone, but have just ordered it. Joy of Cooking is of course a classic. Good tip on the BBC iCan site, and html.goodies.
Thanks all.
Posted by Kevin Kelly on July 13, 2004 at 6:17 AMJoy of Cooking
Two exemplary features:
1. A theoretical introduction for each section, where the recipes are specific cases of general principles and guidelines given in the section introduction. How-tos that are merely procedural don't get you very far. For example, a printed Mapquest itinerary is a purely procedural how-to, and the slightest variation in the itinerary makes it completely useless. If forced to choose, I prefer a general map of the problem to a step-by-step instruction.
2. Its canonical status. The power of standardization is in effect here. You learn more than a way to make a pie crust; you learn a way to make a pie crust that you may assume others know. This means that in speaking about pies, you can make yourself understood very efficiently. Often this is what you want out of a how-to: more than A way to do something, THE way.
Posted by Will on July 12, 2004 at 5:46 AMI've found the BBC's iCan site pretty helpful recently, after trouble with my local council (I'm in the UK). There's a list of basic how-tos at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ican/A2404856 but the whole of the site seems to be an effort to create a giant how-to to help people learn how to make change in their local environment.
Posted by chris on June 25, 2004 at 8:40 PMWorking Alone: Tips & Techniques for Solo Building by John Carroll
published by The Taunton Press tp@taunton.com
I bought it at Home Depot
When I was leanring html, the site htmlgoodies.com was very helpful. At the time, it was the most accessible resource of its kind online.
Posted by jp on June 18, 2004 at 4:08 PMForgot to mention. All the books I recommended are available on Amazon.com
Posted by Hulda on June 16, 2004 at 12:05 AMHulda,
Bravo! Great list. Thanks for the roundup.
I agree with you, Phil, that "How to Keep your VW Alive" reached some peak of how-to. It's the Ur-guidebook of he dummies genre.
I had not heard of how to do nothing with nobody, but I will track it down.
Others?
Posted by Kevin Kelly on June 15, 2004 at 8:52 PMHere are my favorites. Enjoy.
How to learn chinese medicine:
Healing With Whole Foods: Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition
by Paul Pitchford
How to be a woman:
Three Black Skirts : All You Need To Survive
by Anna Johnson
How to be a french woman:
Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl
by Debra Ollivier
How to be enlightened:
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle
How to be happy:
The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It
How to be a samurai:
A Book of Five Rings
by Miyamoto Musashi
How to be one with everything:
Tao Te Ching
How to be Zen by reading a cartoon:
Zhuangzi Speaks
by Chih-Chung Tsai, Brian Bruya
How to cook whole foods:
Feeding the Whole Family: Whole Foods Recipes for Babies, Young Children & Their Parents
by Cynthia Lair
How to be married for a long time:
Simple Loving: A Path to Deeper, More Sustainable Relationships
by Janet Luhrs
This one is self explanatory
How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art
by Kathleen Meyer
John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive." This set of universal procedures for maintaining air-cooled vehicles transcends mere mechanics and touches on the spiritual.
You can argue that the "original Idiot book" is not the best repair manual on the shelves, but this book pulls its weight in keeping the air-cooled meme alive well past the Doyle Dane Bernbach era.
Posted by Phil on June 15, 2004 at 7:33 PMProbably my favorite how-to book is Robert Paul Smith's "How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself," published in 1958. It's an instruction book for projects and games that kids can do by themselves, such as making a small tank from a spool and a rubber band, how to play mumbly-peg, how to make a paper airplane, how to make clackers from horsechestnuts, stuff like that.
Smith writes exactly as if he were an older kid explaining this stuff to a younger kid. No condescension, exactly the right tone, and a judicious use of drawings. I remember loving this book when I was about 8 years old, and I love it now at 45.
Posted by Brad Hurley on June 15, 2004 at 1:59 PMI have been working for a project that is developing a resource for sustainable rural systems. We want to showcase people living in innovative ways as a sort of primer for others to re-evaluate the natural resources on their own landscapes. The best teachers are inspiring in their own success'.
http://www.renewingthecountryside.org
Posted by indigo on June 10, 2004 at 8:42 PMOne of the best learning sites is Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works. http://www.howstuffworks.com/index.htm
Posted by Jewel on June 10, 2004 at 2:47 PM
I wonder why no one posted here for a while? Still in a spirit of I-can-top-that I have to mention the Victorian series of books called 'Enquire Within Upon Everything'.
"Why would you think that tops them all?' I hear you ask. Well according to some accounts it was the child hood reading of a copy of this book that inspired Tim Bernes-Lee to persevere with the World Wide Web and critically to publish the protocols as a public domain system.
So that is my book and the Internet is my nomination for the world's best How to!...
Posted by Dave Spathaky on April 25, 2007 at 2:17 PM