Reddit reviews 507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)

This is a manly book.

I'm not sure what you mean with "not literature", books are literature.

I see your interesting book and raise you one of my favorites:

This is the book you seek:

https://amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

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There's also:

https://amazon.com/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-Appliances-Science/dp/0486457435

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There's also this if you want to go to a professional level:

https://amazon.com/Ingenious-Mechanisms-Designers-Inventors-Set/dp/B0041MXUUK

Do NOT pay this much. Look for used copies on Amazon, eBay and Abe's Books. I found a near mint used set for $35.

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Note: I have no financial interests in referring these titles.

Get yourself a student edition of some Autodesk products - AutoCad and Inventor at the least - to practice CAD and drafting skills.

Some books about Mech Eng specifically:

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanisms-Mechanical-Devices-Sourcebook-Edition/dp/0071704426

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Machines-How-They-Work/dp/0486217094

http://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Formulas-Kurt-Gieck/dp/0071457747

http://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Engineering-Principles-John-Bird/dp/0415517850

Don't forget about basic electricity, electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics too.

Get some hands-on experience with machine tools such as lathes and mills. Learn how to program CNC machines using G-code. Try to land a summer job at a factory or assembly plant for the experience. Learn how to make metal castings by watching some YouTube videos and visiting a local foundry.

Find some local ASME members to network with and seek a mentor. ASME also offers a limited free membership to college freshmen.

This one is cheap enough to check out even if it isn't the one you had before:
507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)
by Henry T. Brown
https://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

I've worked with some designers who had books like these:

Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices

[507 Mechanical Movements and Designs]
(https://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484237480&sr=8-2&keywords=mechanisms)

Honestly though, these books might be good bathroom reading, but design comes down to experience. The more problems you solve, and the more things you make, the better your designs will be.

Having been a design engineer for a while now, the absolute best advice I can give you is to talk to the other people who will be using the stuff you design. Starting out, your designs aren't going to be the most elegant. Focus on getting something that is functional.

Then, talk to the machinist who is making the parts. He'll have some advice on what features are difficult to machine, or some features you could include that make your parts easier to manufacture, such as adding a flat surface to use as a datum for machining setups, or "bonus holes" that can be used for lifting or securing the parts on the machine. Maybe if you loosen some tolerances, he can order a piece of mill standard pipe instead of having to hog out a huge piece of round stock. Maybe if you tweak the geometry just a little bit, the part can be made on a manual machine instead of having to wait for the 5 axis CNC to open up.

Talk to the techs who have to operate or maintain the machines. What makes their jobs difficult? They'll know best what parts are hard to access, or which tightly packed assemblies don't have clearances to fit tools in, or what's constantly breaking and needs to be replaced often. They'll show you the "custom made tools" that they improvise so that they can actually work with your equipment.

Talk to the people in procurement, or your suppliers and vendors. Is there cheaper hardware you could use? Maybe switching materials would make it easier to source raw stock. Maybe there's an off-the-shelf coupling you could use instead of machining a custom bracket to join two components. These guys work with lots of other people in your industry, and will gladly share "how the other guy did it".

A printing press and chest of books. At least one would be on paper making techniques. The other would be this. That's really all that would be necessary. I firmly believe that the printing press alone is responsible for the sudden rise of modern society.

Mechanisms like what would be found in this book:

507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices

(Dover Science Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486443604/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ijE3BbCSGQ3A3

Where could I purchase gears online?

Printed on paper