Bond, A. Russell:
THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY, or, THE CAMP AT WILLOW CLUMP ISLAND
Munn & Co., New York, 1907.

A contrived adventure narrative allows boys with names like Dutchy and Reddy to demonstrate the manufacture of swamp shoes, ice boats, rope bridges -- even a gravity railroad. With over 300 engravings and photos.

<-- front cover

n/a:
GOURMET'S GUIDE TO GOOD EATING IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Garden City Publishing Co., New York, 1948.

Roadside steakhouses, tearooms, and colonial inns from coast to coast: Didn't Humbert and Lo keep a well-thumbed copy of this guidebook in their glove box?

<-- front cover

Ebensten, Hanns:
PIERCED HEARTS AND TRUE LOVE: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN TATTOOING
Derek Verschoyle Ltd., London, 1953.

"The young man's first experience at the tattooist and with the sexual act resemble each other closely."

<-- "Sailor, pimp and thief"

Morgan, Terry:
"LORD OF THE FLIES": A CARD GAME
Graham Brash Ltd., Singapore, 1988.

An engaging pastime, certain to keep kids out of trouble. Contains forty laminated game cards, bound in pamphlet form.

<-- front cover

Yarsley, V.E., and E.G. Couzens:
PLASTICS
Allen Lane/Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1941.

"During the past few years we have seen many of the common objects used in daily life take on a new and more pleasing form..." With striking photos in sepia gravure.

<-- front cover

Barnett, S.A.:
THE RAT: A STUDY IN BEHAVIOUR
Aldine Publishing Co., Chicago, 1963.

Includes photos of caged rats (both male and female) attempting homosexual rape on their cellmates.

<-- front cover

n/a:
THE AMERICAN STANDARD OF PERFECTION
American Poultry Association, Davenport, IA, 1938.

"...not alone the most beautiful and symmetrical but also the most useful and productive."

<-- pp. 36-37

n/a:
AVON COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES
Avon Products of Canada, Montreal, [ca. 1952].

Ring-bound sample catalogue for "Avon ladies," illustrated with creamy photos of soaps and lotions, and still haunted by a scent of grandmotherly perfume.

<-- title page

Kelly, G. Lombard, et al.:
FEMALE MASTURBATION
Banner Books, Inglewood, CA, 1966.

Eight authoritative-sounding essays on various aspects of this popular diversion, including "Artificial Erotism," "Masturbation in Girls," "Curing Masturbation with Hypnosis," etc.

<-- front cover

Yorke, F.R.S., and Frederick Gibberd:
MODERN FLATS
The Architectural Press, London, 1958.

A rigidly geometric paradise, made possible by the wonders of reinforced concrete.

<-- pp. 138-139

Seashore, Carl Emil:
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSICAL TALENT
Silver, Burdett and Co., Boston, 1919.

"The scientific study of the artistic mind is a somewhat baffling undertaking."

<-- frontis and title page

Lloyd, Robin:
FOR MONEY OR LOVE: BOY PROSTITUTION IN AMERICA
Vanguard Press, New York, 1976.

When you read it on the subway, strangers glare at you suspiciously.

<-- front cover

Talmage, T. De Witt:
EVILS OF THE CITIES: A SERIES OF PRACTICAL AND POPULAR DISCOURSES [etc.]
Thos. W. Jackson Publishing, [Chicago], 1891.

Includes diatribes on "The Plague of Infidelity," "The Haunts of Vice," "The Sins of Summer Watering Places," etc.

<-- pp. 272-273: "Why I explored the slime pits"

n/a:
VOGUE PRESENTS THE CORRECTLY SET TABLE
Wm. A. Rogers, Ltd., Niagara Falls, NY, 1922.

Which side does the spork go on?

<-- front cover

Iannini, Robert E.:
BUILD YOUR OWN LASER, PHASER, ION RAY GUN & OTHER WORKING SPACE-AGE PROJECTS
TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1983.

Dangerous when cornered: hobbyists armed with phaser shock-wave pistols, pocket pain field generators, electronic paralyzing devices...

<-- front cover

Armen, Jean-Claude:
GAZELLE-BOY
The Bodley Head, London, 1975.

The not-entirely-convincing story of a feral child raised by gazelles in the Sahara desert, written and sketched by the Basque poet who "discovered" him.

<-- front cover

Kielty, Bernadine:
THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK
Little Leather Library Corp., New York, 1923.

(Little, yes; leather, no.) Bound in modest oilcloth, this diminutive guide to the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan would fit in a leprechaun's vest pocket.

<-- front cover, with pencil for scale

Hadfield, E.C.R. (ed.); Erna Pinner (illus.):
A BOOK OF ANIMAL VERSE
Oxford University Press, London, 1943.

"The friendly cow all red and white, I love with all my heart: She gives me cream with all her might, to eat with apple-tart."

<-- front cover

n/a:
THE ORIGINAL EGYPTIAN DREAM BOOK
8th Edition. T. Milburn Co., Ltd., Toronto, 1937.

A lady who dreams of a dwarf will find a loving husband; a man who dreams of eating turnips can expect ill health.

<-- front cover

Stephenson, Henry and Lilian:
EXTERIOR DESIGN
Studio Books, London, 1963.

Stark modernist facades, when lovingly photographed and artfully presented, look as toothsome as naked odalisques.

<-- front cover