These links may make me a nickle or two if I can figure out how to get the referral stuff set up. Don't feel obligated to click on any link on any site though if you are uncomfortable doing so. You can find some of the books wherever you buy used books if you want to save a few bucks. The Machinery's handbook in particular has many editions over the years. If you get an edition which is maybe 5 editions previous to the current edition, you still have a great resource with most of the information found in the current edition.

     Considered to be the most authoritative source for machining related information.

     Sidenote: Many will tell you that the little drawer in the middle of antique toolboxes is specifically made for the smaller sized "Machinery's Handbook". It certainly deserves a special place but I don't beleive this particular folklore is true.

     Why don't I beleive it? Well, on 19th century and early 20th century toolboxes at least, those odd little drawers predate the existence of that venerable publication.

     So what is it then? In those days, machinists often made their own drill bits. Some of these bits were "twist drills" but a lot of them were simply round rods flattened on one end  and sharpened into a drill for a specific sized hole. You can still find similar bits today. They are called spade drills. They sometimes also made their own boxes to hold those shop-made drills. This "drill index" was commonly stored in that oddly proportioned drawer in antique toolboxes. Is it a happy coincidence or perhaps good marketing that the handbook fits nicely in that drawer?

      One thing is for certain, If I build a fancy wooden toolbox, it will have an oddly shaped drawer which IS specifically for my machinery's handbook. It will be a much larger drawer though since I like the large print edition.

     For me, this is THE authoratative source for the English language. This excellent resource is available online at the link above. In physical form, it is a 10 volume dictionary described as  "An encyclopedic lexicon of the english language". If you can find it in a rare bookshop or library, it is likely to be bound in 5 double-volumes.       It, like modern dictionaries, has word definitions, alternate definitons, etymology, etc. Unlike modern dictionaries, it has over 10,000 beautiful wood-carved illustrations. Check out the site for much more detailed information about the history of the dictionary and of the online project.