Charles G. (Charles Gardner) Wheeler

Born in 1855 and living until 1946, Charles Gardner Wheeler was an American author and compiler whose work moved easily between hands-on instruction and reference writing.

He is best known today for Woodworking for Beginners: A Manual for Amateurs, first published in 1900, a substantial guide filled with illustrations and practical advice for novice woodworkers. He also wrote The Course of Empire, a broad historical outline, and completed and edited Familiar Allusions, a reference work begun by William A. Wheeler.

What stands out in Wheeler's surviving books is their usefulness: they were made to teach, organize, and explain. Whether he was introducing readers to shop projects or helping them track down literary and historical facts, he wrote in a straightforward way that still feels approachable.