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Type Book

The Household Cyclopedia was an American guide to housekeeping published in 1881.

Introduction[edit | edit source]

As the object of all study, and the end of all wisdom, is practical utility, so a collection, of the most approved Receipts, in all the arts of Domestic and Social Life, may be considered as a volume containing nearly the whole of the wisdom of man, worthy of preservation. In truth, the present volume has been compiled under the feeling, that if all other books of Science in the world were destroyed, this single volume would be found to embody the results of the useful experience, observations, and discoveries of mankind during the past ages of the world.

Theoretical reasonings and historical details have, of course, been avoided, and the objects of the compilers have been to economize space, and come at once to the point. Whatever men do, or desire to do, with the materials with which nature has supplied them, and with the powers which they possess, is here plainly taught and succinctly preserved; whether it regard complicated manufactures, means of curing diseases, simple processes of various kinds, or the economy, happiness, and preservation of life.

The best authorities have been resorted to, and innumerable volumes consulted, and wherever different processes of apparently equal value, for attaining the same and have been found, they have been introduced.

A general, rather than a scientific, arrangement has been adopted, because the object of the work is popular and universal, and, though likely to be useful to men of science, it is more especially addressed to the public at large. In like manner, as far as possible, technical and scientific language has been avoided, and popular names and simple descriptions have been preferred.

Every care has been taken in the printing to avoid errors in quantities, as well as to select the best receipts of each kind.

The matter has been carefully digested from standard authorities, the scientific journals, and from the practical knowledge of the Editors and contributors. The Editors have to acknowledge valuable assistance from gentlemen eminent in the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Wine-making, Perfumery, Cements, Engraving, Photography, Angling, Tanning, etc. Among other distinguished contributors, we may name the following:

1 Agriculture[edit | edit source]

  • 1.1 The Modern Theory Of Agriculture
  • 1.2 Wheat
  • 1.3 Drainage
  • 1.4 Sugar
  • 1.5 Cotton And Tobacco
  • 1.6 Directions For The Rearing Of Silk Worms

2 Horticulture[edit | edit source]

  • 2.1 Budding And Grafting
  • 2.2 Keeping Fruit
  • 2.3 Flower Gardening
  • 2.4 Insects
  • 2.5 Illustrations

3 Rural and domestic economy[edit | edit source]

  • 3.1 To Manage A Dairy. 132
  • 3.2 Bees And Their Management
  • 3.3 Insects
  • 3.4 Illustrations

4 Farriery[edit | edit source]

  • 4.1 Dogs
  • 4.2 Cattle
  • 4.3 Hogs
  • 4.4 Sheep
  • 4.5 Illustrations

5 Medicine[edit | edit source]

  • 5.1 Diseases
  • 5.2 Accidents
  • 5.3 Wounds
  • 5.4 Fractures
  • 5.5 Dislocations
  • 5.6 Amputation
  • 5.7 Poisons
  • 5.8 Miscellaneous Articles
  • 5.9 Medicines For Indigestion
  • 5.10 Cholera
  • 5.11 Diseases Peculiar To Females
  • 5.12 Management And Diseases Of Children
  • 5.13 Useful Domestic Medicines
  • 5.14 Hygiene - Salutary Cautions
  • 5.15 Preservation From Drowning And Shipwreck
  • 5.16 General Rules For Preserving Life And Health
  • 5.17 The Teeth
  • 5.18 Illustrations

6 Culinary arts[edit | edit source]

  • 6.1 Plain Cookery. 311
  • 6.2 Cookery. 334
  • 6.3 Confectionery. 374
  • 6.4 Pickling
  • 6.5 Carving
  • 6.6 Qualities of Food

7 Brewing[edit | edit source]

  • 7.1 Fermentation
  • 7.2 To Make Cider
  • 7.3 Wines

8 Distillation[edit | edit source]

  • 8.1 Essential Oils
  • 8.2 Waters
  • 8.3 Vinegar And Acid Liquors
  • 8.4 Artificial Waters
  • 8.5 Fixed Oils
  • 8.6 Animal Oils And Fats

9 Perfumery[edit | edit source]

10 Bleaching and scouring[edit | edit source]

11 Dying[edit | edit source]

  • 11.1 Staining

12 Paints and colors[edit | edit source]

13 Varnishes[edit | edit source]

14 Inks[edit | edit source]

15 Metallurgy[edit | edit source]

  • 15.1 Assaying Of Metallic Ores
  • 15.2 Parting
  • 15.3 Alloys, Or Compound Metals
  • 15.4 Foils
  • 15.5 Electro-Metallurgy
  • 15.6 Gilding, Silvering, And Tinning
  • 15.7 Iron And Steel
  • 15.8 Illustrations

16 Pyrotechny[edit | edit source]

  • 16.1 Matches for Instantaneous Light

17 Tanning[edit | edit source]

18 Enamelling[edit | edit source]

19 Pottering[edit | edit source]

20 Glass[edit | edit source]

21 Photography[edit | edit source]

  • 21.1 Photolithography. 664

22 Engraving[edit | edit source]

  • 22.1 Lithography. 673

23 Weights and measures[edit | edit source]

  • 23.1 Specific Gravity. 685
  • 23.2 Gas Meters
  • 23.3 Value Of Coins

24 Chemical receipts[edit | edit source]

  • 24.1 Preventing And Removing Boiler Incrustations
  • 24.2 Artificial Cold
  • 24.3 Antiseptics And Disinfectants

25 Weather prognostics[edit | edit source]

26 Angling[edit | edit source]

  • 26.1 The Culture Of Fish
  • 26.2 Illustrations

27 Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]

  • 27.1 To Tie Knots
  • 27.2 Knitting
  • 27.3 Management Of Canary Birds
  • 27.4 Dogs
  • 27.5 To Destroy Insects
  • 27.6 Petroleum
  • 27.7 Electro-Magnetic Telegraph
  • 27.8 Book-Keeping
  • 27.9 On Preparing Copy And Marking Proof
  • 27.10 The Art Of Rowing
  • 27.11 Macadamized Roads
  • 27.12 Miscellaneous Medical Receipts
  • 27.13 Dialysis
  • 27.14 Riding
  • 27.15 Decalcomania
  • 27.16 The Cattle Plague, Or Rinderpest
  • 27.17 Miscellaneous Illustrations
  • 27.18 Illustrations of Ellectrical Machines
  • 27.19 Illustrationsof Military Weapons

28 Implements of agriculture[edit | edit source]

Pages in category "Household Cyclopedia"[edit | edit source]

FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Authors Curt Beckmann
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 7 subpages, 16 pages link here
Impact 370 page views
Created January 7, 2007 by Curt Beckmann
Modified April 17, 2023 by Pedro Kracht
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