Books with author Frances Melville Perry

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Originally published in 1901 as a portion of the author’s larger “Four American Inventors,” and equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 40 pages, this Kindle edition describes the life and work of Robert Fulton, who built the first successful paddle steamer, the “Clermont.”CONTENTSI. A Boy with IdeasII. Working Out Some of the IdeasIII. The Young ArtistIV. The Artist Becomes an EngineerV. ExperimentsVI. Making the SteamboatVII. The Trial VoyageVIII. SuccessIX. Steamboats on the HudsonX. Other InterestsXI. His Work EndedIncludes supplemental material:•A Brief Summary of the Life of Robert Fulton•A Brief History of Steamboats Before the “Clermont”Sample passage:When the command was given to start, the vessel struck out boldly and the wheels churned the blue water into foam. There was a moment of amazed silence. Then a cheer arose. But the boat stopped, and the cheer also stopped before they had gone far. Those who were on the boat believed it would never go further. They felt that they were being made fun of by the spectators, and wished they were on land. They took no pains to hide their impatience. It was a trying moment for Mr. Fulton. He stood on a chair where all could see him and begged them to be patient for thirty minutes. He said that if all was not right by that time, he would give up the trip and land the passengers. His handsome face, his brilliant eyes, his voice lull of feeling and earnestness, aroused the sympathy and respect, if not the hopes, of his friends: and they warmly expressed their willingness to wait an hour if need be. He hurried down to the engine. He found that the difficulty was a very slight one and easily corrected. In a few minutes the little vessel started again, and this time she kept steadily on, her way up the river. Then a great chorus of cheers arose from the throng on the bank. The men who had come to see the end of “Fulton’s folly” waved hats and handkerchiefs, and shouted at the top of their voices in honor of the man who had done what had seemed to them impossible.

Originally published in 1901 as a portion of the author’s larger “Four American Inventors: A Book for Young Americans,” and equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, this Kindle edition describes, in simple language for young readers, the life and work of the man who invented the cotton gin, which automated the removal of seeds from raw cotton.CONTENTSI. ChildhoodII. YouthIII. At YaleIV. In GeorgiaV. The OpportunityVI. Making the Cotton GinVII. Great ExpectationsVIII. MisfortunesIX. In the CourtsX. Making ArmsXI. Last YearsSample passage:His idea was to mount a cylinder on a strong frame, so that it could be turned by hand, or by horse or water power. The cylinder was to be provided with rows of teeth, which passed through narrow openings in a curved plate or grating of metal. The rows of teeth, or circular saws, were to be about three fourths of an inch apart. The cotton was to be put into a box, or hopper, so that it rested against the grating through which the saw teeth protruded. When the cylinder was turned, its sharp teeth would catch the cotton and drag it through the grating, tearing it from the seeds and dropping it on the other side, soft and clean. The seeds, which had been left behind, would fall to the bottom of the hopper and pass out through an opening just large enough to let them pass. They would be uninjured by the process, and ready to be planted for another cotton crop.Mr. Whitney worked rapidly in spite of many inconveniences. But when all was done except the cylinder, progress stopped for a time. His idea had been to make circular saws and mount them one after the other on the cylinder. To make them, he must have tin or steel plates. As he could not buy or make such plates, he was obliged to contrive some other way of making the teeth on the cylinder.

Excerpt from Four American Inventors: Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Samuel F. B. Morse, Thomas An; Edison; A Book for Young AmericansThe schoolmaster had left the high stool at his high desk and was walking down among the benches where the boys sat. Most of the pupils looked up to see what he would do.There was one who did not look up. That boy's curly head was bent over an old book in which he was drawing something. He was so busy that he seemed to have forgotten where he was.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Originally published in 1901 as a portion of the author’s larger “Four American Inventors: A Book for Young Americans,” and equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 55 pages, this Kindle edition describes, in simple language for young readers, the life and work of the man who invented the electric light, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera.CONTENTSI. Early YearsII. Youthful Business VenturesIII. StudyIV. A Change of BusinessV. The Boy Telegraph OperatorVI. Telegrapher and InventorVII. In Boston VIII. Recognized as an ElectricianIX. Inventor and ManufacturerX. “The Wizard of Menlo Park”XI. InventionsXII. At Orange, New JerseySample passage:The phonograph, while not so familiar to us as the electric light, arouses our wonder even more. You have perhaps heard that sound is made by vibrations of air. You have shouted in a bare room and heard the echo of your words come back with startling distinctness. The wall received the vibrations and sent back other vibrations making similar but somewhat blurred sounds. This repetition of the vibrations to get a repetition of sound is the principle on which the phonograph is based.Edison gives an interesting account of the dawning of the idea in his mind. He says: “I was singing to the mouthpiece of a telephone, when the vibrations of the voice sent the fine steel point into my finger. That set me to thinking. If I could record the actions of the point and send the point over the same surface afterward, I saw no reason why the thing would not talk. I tried the experiment first on a strip of telegraph paper, and found that the point made an alphabet. I shouted the words ‘Halloo! Halloo!’ into the mouthpiece, ran the paper back over the steel point, and heard a faint ‘Halloo! Halloo!’ in return. I determined to make a machine that would work accurately, and gave my assistants instructions, telling them what I had discovered.”

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Stirring accounts of four of America's greatest inventors: Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Thomas Edison. Emphasis is placed on their formative years and how the skills they acquired then enabled them to meet the challenges they faced later, both in developing and manufacturing their inventions and in achieving widespread public acceptance of them.

Originally published in 1900 as part of the author’s larger “Four American Pioneers,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, recounts, in simple language for young readers, the story of the "Hero of Kentucky," frontiersman Daniel Boone.CONTENTSI. ChildhoodII. A Young HunterIII. Westward Ho!IV. A Second Robinson CrusoeV. East AgainVI. Preparing the WayVII. The New Kentucky HomeVIII. Indian HostilitiesIX. Boone Made PrisonerX. Captivity and EscapeXI. Preparations for the SiegeXII. The Siege of BoonesboroughXIII. Dark DaysXIV. Old AgeSAMPLE PASSAGE:As they neared the ridge the long grass in the ravines suddenly became alive with armed savages. A deadly fire was poured upon the troops from both sides. Many fell, dead or wounded. The others returned fire, but in vain. To face those terrible volleys meant death. A retreat was ordered. It became a flight. The Indians were upon the terror-stricken men, brandishing their tomahawks and mad for blood.Boone held his men together as long as there was hope of united action. Then all became disorder. It was a bitter thing for him to see those young men, the flower of the settlement, dead upon the bare earth, but when his son Israel was shot the father forgot others. He took his dying boy in his arms and with the strength of love and despair strode through the flying bullets unhurt.

Originally published in 1905 as a portion of the larger “Four Great American Presidents,” and equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 80 pages, this Kindle edition describes, in simple language for young readers, the life of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.CONTENTSI. An Unpromising Start in LifeII. The Indiana HomeIII. Rough SchoolingIV. Of AgeV. A PoliticianVI. A LawyerVII. Political SuccessVIII. A LeaderIX. The PresidentSAMPLE PASSAGE:On the twenty-ninth of May, 1856, he went to Bloomington, Illinois, to attend a convention held for the purpose of organizing a new political party. Whigs were there, men of the Free Soil party were there, conservative Abolitionists and Anti-slavery Democrats were there. Together they brought into being the great Republican party.After many eloquent speeches had been heard a cry for Lincoln arose. He made his way to the front of the room. “Take the platform,” shouted the people. He began simply and slowly, almost hesitatingly, but as he spoke he warmed to his subject. He straightened his stooping shoulders and seemed to tower even above his usual height. He seemed inspired. The sympathy of his audience carried him away.He forgot to be cautious. He spoke the thoughts that had been lying unuttered in his heart and in theirs. His bold words so moved the people that even the reporters forgot their duty in the enthusiasm of the hour, and the speech has been known as the “lost speech.”

Originally published in 1900 as part of the author’s larger “Four American Pioneers,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, recounts, in simple language for young readers, the story of U.S. frontiersman, soldier, and politician Davy Crockett.CONTENTSI. A Neglected ChildII. A Homesick BoyIII. A RunawayIV. A Hired HandV. A HouseholderVI. A SoldierVII. A Leading CitizenVIII. A Bear HunterIX. A CongressmanX. A TravelerXI. A Daring AdventurerXII. A Hero of the AlamoSAMPLE PASSAGE:The Mexicans cannonaded the Alamo from various points. One morning Crockett was awakened by a shot against the part of the fort in which he was sleeping. He dressed hurriedly and ran to the wall, gun in hand. He saw that, opposite the fort, a cannon had been charged and the gunner was stepping up with lighted match.Crockett took careful aim, fired, and the man fell. Another took his place. Thimblerig, who was with Crockett, handed him another rifle. The second gunner met the same fate. Five men tried in turn to light that cannon. All fell before the deadly fire of Crockett. The others were seized with fear and ran off, leaving the loaded cannon. The sharpshooters of the fort kept watch, and any one venturing within gunshot of the fort had little chance of escaping.