A modern and energetically designed encyclopedia of DIY with everything you need to know to roll up your sleeves and cook it, build it, sew it, clean it, or repair it yourself. In other words, everything you would have learned from your shop and home ec teachers, if you'd had them. The Useful Book features 138 practical projects and how-tos, with step-by-step instructions and illustrations, relevant charts, sidebars, lists, and handy toolboxes. There's a kitchen crash course, including the must-haves for a well-stocked pantry; how to boil an egg (and peel it frustration-free); how to grill, steam, saute, and roast vegetables. There's Sewing 101, plus how to fold a fitted sheet, tie a tie, mop a floor, make a bed, and set the table for a formal dinner.

Author Biography

David Bowers is a woodworker, painter, author of Bake Like a Man: A Real Man's Cookbook, and stay-at-home dad. Sharon Bowers contributes to iVillage and Parents magazine, and is the author of Ghoulish Goodies, Candy Construction, and The Idiot's Guide to Cooking Chicken.