Research Guides: Ben Franklin's Believe It Or Not!: Recipes, Instructions, and Advice

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Government How-To's

There is a surprisingly rich history of cookbooks and recipes published in government documents of all sorts over the decades, and even centuries!

Cakes and cookies : recipes for different altitudes
A 1946 publication from the Colorado Extension Service at Colorado A&M College (known today as Colorado State University), the beginning of the booklet discusses baking equipment and techniques, before listing recipes for, among other desserts, butter-type cakes, sponge-type cakes, sugarless cakes, doughnuts, and cookies.

Cookies
A collection of cookie (and brownie) recipes published in September, 1957, by the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture's Extension Service and the USDA

Creditable quick bread recipes for the Child Care Food Program
"One of the goals of the Child Care Food Program is to improve children's health and nutrition while promoting their development of good eating habits. Therefore, because these quick breads have a sugar content which is much higher than most ordinary bread and bread alternatives, they may not be served more than twice a week..."

(from the introduction)
Recipes to Match Your Sugar Ration
"Baking and cooking of other desserts can be done with less sugar. The recipes in this bulletin will show you how. Many of these recipes call for no sugar at all."

(taken from the introduction, published in 1942)

"Instructions" can cover a wide range of topics, from permanent structures, to formal conduct in a workplace.

Aboveground home fallout shelter.
An 8-page guide to the construction of a home fallout shelter.
Enhancing the safety of our toys : lead paint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and toy safety standards
Congressional hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate; One Hundred Tenth Congress.
How to have better meetings.
"A series of tip sheets that can help you resolve conflicts."
How to write a wrong.
"[B]efore you can exercise the power the law gives you, you first must realize that you can complain if the product is faulty. And you should not feel awkward or guilty about complaining until you get satisfaction."

(from the introduction)
Say how? : a pronunciation guide to names of public figures
Published July 2002, there are 8,339 entries with names and a key for pronunciation by syllables.

The government has consulted with, and even directly employed, countless experts to offer advice to citizens on a wide range of topics (some of which has aged well, and some of which... hasn't).

Don't Be Fuelish
"The most important single element in determining fuel economy of a particular car is the driving technique of the individual behind the wheel. One authority declares that a careful driver should be able to get at least 30% better mileage than an average driver, and 50% better mileage than a poor one."
Fire in Your Life: A Catalog of Flammable Products & Ignition Sources.
"Information about typical accident patterns and about the safest way to purchase, use, store, maintain, and dispose of flammable products."
The inside story : a guide to indoor air quality
Since many of the causes of reduced indoor air quality in buildings have persisted from 1995 (the date of this document's publication) to the current day, much of the information found here can still be useful (some of it, admittedly, is outdated).
Little big kids : for ages 3-5.
A collection of stories, poems, illustrations, and advice for children (and their parents), written in collaboration between staff at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and a group of children, encouraging safe behavior on the playground.
Safety for older consumers : home safety checklist
An in-depth checklist of areas of the home, spotlighting predictable and unexpected hazards that are important to be aware of and address (many of which are just as applicable today as they were in 1991).
Which Toy for Which Child: a Consumer's Guide for Selecting Suitable Toys
A 1986 publication from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: "Play provides many opportunities for children to learn and grow--physically, mentally, and socially. If play is the child's work then toys are the child's tools, and appropriate toys can help children do their work well."