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BURTON, WALTER A : ARCHIVE LOT OF NINE HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARIES OF WALTER A. BURTON, AKRON OHIO INVENTOR TECHNICAL WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER

24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall. Burton, Walter A. [Ervin], late of Akron, Ohio (d.1995). Nine handwritten diaries detailing the life and work of this inventor/photographer/tech writer from 1957 through 1987, Akron, Ohio. Front joints of two volumes split o/w in very good condition. each 6" x 3.5". All 9 diaries have full-page entries for each day of the year, written legibly in ink: 1957, 1960-62, 1982, 1984-87. The first diary, when Walter Burton is 53 years old, sets the tone. Burton is a technical writer, photographer and inventor who works at home creating and/or researching mechanical projects and writing them up for journals such as Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Home Craftsman, Better Homes and Gardens, etc. Some typical subjects: a drink dispenser; window screens; a hand-cranked milling attachment for a lathe; Williamsburg Paints; etc. He spends much time puttering and experimenting in his basement, meticulously recording each project, its completion, amounts paid him, etc. A major client is B.F. Goodrich Company, for whom he travels to various cities, writes tech manuals, scripts a film, etc. He is an active member of the Portage Camera Club, describes his work and equipment, his home darkroom, etc. We also learn much about daily life with his sister(?), Louisa, 15 years his senior. He lists every restaurant they visit and what they order (and they eat out most nights). He describes every local business he goes into, every library opening, bridge opening, doctor consulted, etc. We are also given insight into his daily life at home. Burton graduated Johns Hopkins University in 1927. He mentions visiting with an old roommate while on a business trip to Marysville, Ohio. Binding is orig boards.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good+

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