Many of the toys and games in this book are old favorites with a New Look. All of them are well within the capabilities of the average home craftsman, whether he or she is equipped with a meager set of hand tools, or is the proud proprietor of a completely powered workshop. Wherever possible, homely materials have been recommended, not only to cut down the cost and speed up the work, but to focus attention upon the useful possibilities of ordinary household odds and ends often destined for the trash pile.

Complicated mechanical details have been avoided in order to enlist the interest of handicrafters of all ages and abilities, in the expectation that the more advanced technicians will modify whatever appears to them as rather rudimentary makeshifts. So long as the resulting products are sturdy, colorful, and appreciated, the means and methods are of no consequence.

Far from inconsequential is the acknowledgment it is desired to make to Mrs. Dorothy A. Pugsley, Librarian of the Pawling Free Library, for her enthusiastic research and infectious interest throughout the progress of the compilation of this book during otherwise dark winter months.

B. W. Pelton

Pawling, New York May, 1951