author
A. Neely (Albert Neely) Hall
b. 1883
Best known for lively, practical books that taught children and families how to make toys, games, and handicrafts at home, this early 20th-century American writer turned hands-on learning into an adventure. His work blended creativity, simple engineering, and the pleasure of making things yourself.
2 Audiobooks
The Boy Craftsman Practical and Profitable Ideas for a Boy's Leisure Hours
by A. Neely (Albert Neely) Hall
Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys Wooden and Cardboard Toys, Mechanical and Electric Toys
by A. Neely (Albert Neely) Hall
About the author
Born in Chicago in 1883, Albert Neely Hall wrote under the name A. Neely Hall and became known for books that encouraged young readers to build, tinker, and learn by doing. His books include The Handy Boy, Carpentry & Mechanics for Boys, and Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys, and many of them remained in circulation long after first publication.
Hall spent much of his adult life in Elmhurst, Illinois. Alongside his writing, he was associated with craft-pattern work that helped extend his practical, maker-minded approach beyond books and into projects readers could build for themselves.
What makes his work stand out is its cheerful, useful spirit. Rather than treating handicraft as something formal or difficult, he presented it as fun, approachable, and full of possibility for everyday life.