1908-1916

Downloads of Meccano Manuals

This page contains downloads of all the manuals published between 1908 and 1916 that I can find. For convenience they are split into separate years. Click on the thumbnail to download the required edition in pdf format. It also shows known editions that I don't currently have. Scans of these would be appreciated.

Confirmation of those print codes in red is also required (Scans of these manuals would also be appreciated). Also scans of of any other editions, especially other overseas/colonial editions would be gratefully received.

Note - The numbers in green are the reference numbers from the list of USA Meccano manuals produced by Kendrick Bisset. See Kendick Bisset's website on Meccano in the United States.
Information on copyright dates etc. is available for many of the American manuals on the USA © Info page.

WARNING

Some of these manuals feature content that contains outdated attitudes and ideas of a racist nature. Such ideas were wrong at the time and are wrong now. However not to include them would be to deny that they ever existed. This would also be wrong. For this reason all manual content has been included.

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1908 manuals

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1909 - Liverpool

Note - The first 1909 manual did not include models 21, 38, 39, 56, 57 & 62. These extra models were initially published in a supplementary manual. This supplementary manual was later included by being bound in to the rear of the main manual. Following this a further edition of the 1909 manual was published with the additional models fully incorporated into the manual in the correct order.
So far the only 1909 manual examined is a copy of the later full version.

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1909 - USA

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1910 - Liverpool

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1910 - USA

Note - On page 1 of the 1910 manual, the word 'copyrighted' is covered by a paste-on.

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1911 - Liverpool

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1911 - USA

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1912 - Liverpool

Note - An early 1912 manual showing all keyway parts is expected to exist, but it has so far not been seen. Confirmation required.

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1912 - USA

Note - The 1912 Outfit 0 manual has so far only been seen from scans (of unknown provenance) of a US edition. Unfortunately these were missing page 2 (IFC)

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1913 - Liverpool

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Note 1 - The first main 1913 manual had a blank page on page 100, with page 88 being "The Science of Mechanics Taught by Meccano". Later editions of the 1913 manual had a page titled "Meccano is More Than A Toy" inserted at page 88. The resulted in all following pages being moved up one page, so that page 100 was now used.

Note 2 - This Colonial edition is not described as such. However the manual price is 1/- instead of 9d and the prices of parts & outfits are around 50% more than the English edition. The front cover is also coloured differently - light blue and pink. instead of the usual buff and light blue. Also on the bottom left of page 1 there are the letters 'NZ' probably refering to New Zealand. Two editions have been found. The second one has had the priced pages at the rear removed and new pages stuck in with higher prices.

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1913 - USA

Note - Early editions of the 1913 main manual (13.3 & 13.6) had a blank page on page 100, with page 88 being "The Science of Mechanics Taught by Meccano". Later editions of the 1913 manual (13.1, 13.2 & 13.5) had a page titled "Meccano is More Than A Toy" inserted at page 88. The resulted in all following pages being moved up one page, so that page 100 was now used.

Note - The copy scanned of ref 13.6 was unfortunately missing its covers and pages 1/2 and 99/100. Because of the small numbers at the bottom of some pages, which are identical to the first 1913 UK version, it was almost certainly printed in the UK.

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1914 - Liverpool

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1914 - USA

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1915 - USA

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1915 / Early 1916 - Liverpool

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Note 1 - These modified 1914 manuals consist of inside pages of the normal English / US ref 14.2 editions,. They use surplus No.14 American manuals which have a sticker over bottom panel of the front cover to hide the American address. Pages 1-4 & 129-134 removed and new unnumbered pages stuck in at the rear showing the 1916 version price list, spare parts list and outfit contents.
Note *³ - Two colonial editions have been seen. One with the additional stuck in pages marked 'Australasia' and the other marked 'Colonial'. Both say 'Colonial' on the front cover. For the Canadian version see US ref 16.7 which is the same except that there is no sticker on the front page covering the American address etc.

Note - 2 The 14S Supplementary manual has been seen priced at 6d for the UK market, 9d for Colonial market and 20 Cts for the French market.

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1916 - USA

Note - This No.14 US manual is modified for the Canadian market in exactly the same way as the Colonial and Australasia manuals noted above in the previous section. I.e. Pages 1-4 & 129-134 removed and new unnumbered pages stuck in at the rear showing the 1916 Canadian version price list, spare parts list and outfit contents. It is included with the American manuals due to the unmodified front cover.