CARPENTRY MADE EASY; OR, THE SCIENCE AND ART OF FRAMING, was written by William E. Bell of Ottawa, Illinois and published by Howard Challen of Philadelphia in 1858. It remained in continuous publication through 1904, evidence of the book's importance to the architectural and building trades of the period. CARPENTRY MADE EASY was the first 19th century architectural trade book to popularize the transition from heavy timber frame to light balloon frame construction. Although not the first book to introduce balloon frame construction, CARPENTRY MADE EASY was the first technical book to...