The Forgotten Bookshelf

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our eighth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge.

In this episode, father is delighted to see that his homeschooling has formed Philip into an interesting traveling companion, delighting other guests at the Swiss resort with his sketches and observations of mountain wildflowers. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear a discussion about whether a college graduate could figure out how to navigate a ship at sea if, hypothetically, the captain were mur...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our seventh installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge. 

This time, Philip and his father, relaxing at an Alpine resort in Switzerland, listen to a photographer tell an incredible story about making a camera lens out of ice in Alaska after he dropped his glass telephoto lens into a glacial crevasse. The photographer quotes an old optician: “Remember that your character resembles a lens. If it is well formed, it will give a beautiful...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our sixth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge.

Our narrator, Philip’s father, continues his contemplation of Philip’s interest in athletic feats of strength. Their friend Scribain says “Excess in athletics is like all forms of dissipation,” and quotes Locke as recommending gardening and woodworking as healthy recreations for a man of study or business. Father and Philip take a trip to Europe and enjoy estimating the height of the Matterhorn as seen from Z...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our fifth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge. Philip and his father, trying to survey their estate to build a golf course, discover that distance measurements may produce unexpected results when you go down into a ravine and back up the other side. Father’s friend Ruysart, a sculptor, works tirelessly on a statue representing Honor for the state capitol, but ignores his own son’s curiosity. Another friend pooh-poohs the idea of learning about such...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our fourth installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. Our narrator endeavors to teach geometry to his son Philip by surveying their yard with the intention of building a golf course with appropriate drainage. Father exploits Philip’s interest in George Washington by studying Washington’s youthful work as a surveyor. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear an old-fashioned adventure story in which Washington leads his crew in avoiding a party of Indians and their do...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our third installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. Philip and his father try some buoyancy experiments involving a wooden plank teetering on a sailboat. Father’s physics professor friend laments that lecturing as a teaching method is a waste. Small group study and interesting practical problems are the way to go. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear father and son use triangles to measure the size of their estate compared to the local golf...

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our second installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. The father, teaching his son at home, reflects on whether it would be better to send Philip to a school where he might pick up boldness and spirit from being with other boys, though he would also encounter dull teaching and bad influences. Mother, through her example and pure thoughts, endows Philip with a choir of angels that will sing to him when temptation comes, as it will t...