author
Cheshire Lowton Boone
b. 1875
Best known for a 1912 guide to hands-on learning, this early twentieth-century writer championed crafts, gardening, games, and practical skills as part of a rich education for young people.
1 Audiobook
The Library of Work and Play: Guide and Index
by Cheshire Lowton Boone
About the author
Very little biographical information about this author is easy to confirm online, but surviving records show Cheshire Lowton Boone was born in 1875 and was active in the early 1900s. An archival record also places Boone in the Department of Art and Handwork for the public schools of Montclair, New Jersey in 1910.
Boone is chiefly associated with The Library of Work and Play and The Library of Work and Play: Guide and Index, published in 1912. The work brings together books and ideas about crafts, outdoor activities, design, and home skills, reflecting a strong belief that learning should be active, creative, and closely tied to everyday life.
That practical spirit is what makes Boone interesting today. Even from the limited record that remains, the books suggest an educator or compiler deeply interested in helping children learn by making, growing, building, and doing.