Back in the pre-cell phone days, data had to be written down and this book, Help! A Record Book for Household Names, Notes and Numbers (1985) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was just the kind of handy reference to buy when it was published. I got it from a humane society thrift shop in Fryeburg, Maine this past weekend because of all the W. Heath Robinson drawings. It was also the one-year anniversary of us adopting our cat Cheddar from there.
W. Heath Robinson (1972-1944) illustrated more than sixty books.
"During the 1930s he was dubbed 'the gadget king,' his name synonymous with fantastic machinery, elaborate gadgets, and ludicrous contraptions." -- from the introduction
He's been called the British Rube Goldberg. The work you see here is from a series of "how to" books: How To Be a Motorist, How to Be a Perfect Husband, etc. that were first published between 1936 and 1943.
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