James Lukin, The Young Mechanic, “How to Make a Box”

Resource added
Spread from the chapter “How to Make a Box” from the Young Mechanic, by James Lukin, a prolific author who wrote instructional books about Victorian craft hobbies for boys, published by Trübner & Co., 1871. Held at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, 23h12041.

Full description

The instructions for making a box on this spread directly address readers with tips for inexperienced amateur carpenters, complete with technical schematics for making a box. These schematics appear throughout Lukin's books, including instructions for building an entire workshop and for making an automaton toy and a clock. The box appears early in the book because boys learn how to make all of their tools and use them, placing each inside the box as they go. Representing the mind, the box offers a physical manifestation of what the boy reader learns, similar to the cabinet in books marketed to girls.

  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    325 KB
  • container title
    James Lukin, The Young Mechanic: A Book for Boys, Containing Directions for the Use of All Kinds of Tools and for the Construction of Steam Engines and Mechanical Models (London: Trübner & Co., 1871).
  • credit
    Courtesy of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida
  • rights
    Public Domain