Lost Arts

I knew Geometry back in school. I know I did. I retained the basics, I suppose, as well. But last week Colin emailed me a book he thought would interest me,The Carpenter's Cyclopedia by Fred Hodgson (published 1902), and now I question whether I retained anything at all. Sure my hands know how to build some furniture, install doors with a plumline, etc, but the science behind it is scattered.

And in house-hunting this week, I've realized I'm not alone. We looked at a Victorian house built in 1900. The details and character were stunning. You just didn't see the same curves and decorative details in the new ones. Noone wants to pay for it. And probably, noone knows how to build it anymore either.

So needless to say I bought the book. An original copy. I bought it as a science project for myself. I bet Grandpa knew some of it, but my guess is that the knowledge had passed away with Grandpa's Grandpa's generation.