author

Edward Thatcher

A teacher of decorative metalworking at Teachers College, Columbia University, he turned hands-on craft into lively, practical books for makers. His best-known work, Making Tin Can Toys, shows a playful mix of ingenuity, teaching skill, and early 20th-century workshop spirit.

1 Audiobook

Making Tin Can Toys

Making Tin Can Toys

by Edward Thatcher

About the author

Edward Thatcher was an American craft author and instructor best known for Making Tin Can Toys and Simple Soldering, Both Hard and Soft. Sources connected with his books identify him as an instructor of decorative metalworking at Teachers College, Columbia University, from 1904 to 1919.

His writing is clear and practical, aimed at helping readers learn by building things themselves. Making Tin Can Toys, first published in 1919, reflects that approach especially well, turning simple materials into imaginative projects and making metalwork feel approachable rather than intimidating.

Available source material also links him to the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, New York, and notes that he wrote articles on metalworking for Popular Science. I couldn't confirm a suitable portrait image from the sources I checked, so no profile image is included.