Once again, a book from our Digital Library has been posted to Project Gutenberg with help from the Distributed Proofreaders project. This latest release is another entry from the Multum in Parvo Library of tiny chapbooks: The Handy Manual: A Veritable Mine of Useful and Interesting Statistics, Information, Etc.

As the title suggests, this book is a collection of random facts, starting with the lifespans of various animals and ending with the dates that American states were admitted to the union (ending with Wyoming in 1890). Like other books in the series, this one was clearly designed with commercial intent; some of the listings transition awkwardly into advertisements, like this set of “Interesting Facts:”

The Atlantic Ocean includes an area of 30,000,000 square miles. Suppose an inch of rain to fall upon only one-fifth of this vast expanse, it would weigh 360,000,000 tons, and the salt which, as water, is held in solution in the sea, and which, when the water was taken up as a vapor, was left behind to disturb the equilibrium, weighed 16,000,000 more tons, or nearly twice as much as all the ships in the world could carry at a cargo each. It might fall in a day; but occupy what time it might in falling, this rain is calculated to exert so much force—which is inconceivably great—in disturbing the equilibrium of the ocean. If all the water discharged by the Mississippi River during the year were taken up in mighty measure, and cast in the ocean at an effort, it would not make a greater disturbance in the equilibrium of the sea than the fall of rain supposed. And yet so gentle are the operations of nature that movements so vast are unperceived. Another interesting fact is that you can get a beautiful garnet and opal ring absolutely free. This great offer is made by a reliable firm to introduce their goods. Send twelve cents in stamps to W. S. Everett & Co., 113 Munroe Street, Lynn, Mass., requesting them to mail you a sample of their celebrated Perfumery, and they will mail free with it a beautiful garnet and opal ring. Send them strip of paper showing size around your finger.

If you’re interested in the rest of the text, you can find the entire book on Project Gutenberg, where you can read it online or download it in popular eBook formats for free.