If there was ever a perfect example of American mechanical ingenuity, it's the Device That Frightens Flies At Screen Door. A spring, a curtain rod, a length of scalloped, 8-oz. cotton duck, and a cord combine to form an inconspicuous little device that flaps when the screen door opens, keeping flies from swarming the kitchen. Simple, inexpensive, yet brilliant — these are the qualities that make each of the over 200 vintage projects in The Boy Mechanic so enjoyable to read, let alone create. Culled from a half-century of Popular Mechanics issues (make that the first half of last century), The Boy Mechanic represents an age when imagination could conquer far more than the checkbook — when solving a problem was more satisfying than paying to have it go away. We can all learn something from The Boy Mechanic, even if it's nothing more than how to construct A Simple Device for Suspending Parcels from Overhead Hooks. —Benjamin Chertoff
The Boy Mechanic is available for $9.95 at Barnes and Noble.