In the tradition of The Dangerous Book for Boys, a visually dazzling compendium of practical knowledge, fascinating trivia, and worldly wisdom for young boys—designed as a charming and informal full-color family scrapbook treasured by generations of one family at their Adirondack summer camp.

On a late summer afternoon, while rustling around in his family’s Adirondack cabin, a boy named Charlie Whistler finds a dusty cloth-bound scrapbook. It is the Omnium Gatherum, a colorful, illustrated grab bag of stories, arcana, and much more, faithfully collected over generations by Charlie’s father, grandfather, and generations of Whistlers before them.

Its pages hold a universe of age-old wisdom, from the simple—how to tie a slipknot—to the esoteric—how to find your way in the forest, or predict the tides—to the exotic—how to understand simple phrases in dozens of languages.

Charlie Whistler’s Omnium Gatherum is a delightful, ceaselessly readable, and unique gift book for boys of all ages: a nostalgic evocation of American childhood, a keepsake for modern fathers to hand down to their sons, and an irresistible, page-turning read for everyone who loves to lose themselves in the world of imagination.

Philip Delves Broughton