Ira Samuel Griffith

Born in 1874, Ira Samuel Griffith was an American author and teacher best known for writing instructional books on woodworking, carpentry, and manual training. Records from library catalogs and public-domain book listings connect him with titles such as Essentials of Woodworking, Advanced Projects in Woodwork, Woodwork for Secondary Schools, Correlated Courses in Woodwork and Mechanical Drawing, and Carpentry.

His books were designed for schools, apprentices, and beginning craftsmen. Contemporary editions identify him with the Manual Arts Department at the University of Missouri, which fits the practical, classroom-centered style of his writing. Rather than treating woodwork as a hobby alone, he presented it as a teachable craft with clear methods, careful measurement, and steady practice.

Griffith died in 1924. Though little biographical detail is easy to confirm, his books remained widely circulated through libraries, archives, and reprints, suggesting that his straightforward teaching style continued to be valued long after his lifetime.