The Child's Guide to KnowledgeFanny Umphelbys handbook of information about everything under the sun ran through sixty seven editions between 1825 and 1907. No family bookshelf lacked its copy. Its question and answer format lent itself to the rote learning then in vogue. Even in his adult years scientist Ambrose Fleming (1849 1945) could recite most of it by heart. History, science, technology, geography, agriculture, the origin of every substance or article one could meet with :