A Practical Treatise on the Steel Square

Published in 1903, two volumes on the steel square would certainly seem to qualify as "exhaustive."  Nevertheless, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, this tool could be very versatile.  You also needed to be able to handle the math. 

I was given my copy by a friend, but you can read the book online. 

Fred Hodgson was born in Duntroon, Ontario but spent much of his life in Collingwood, writing his many technical books on architecture and house building.  There he bought and remodeled a beautiful house for his son, who was a circus agent.  (John Ringling spent the off-season in this Ontario town.)

Hodgson also produced various house plans which were available for purchase, ranging from plans for simple houses for those with limited means, to quite impressive residences.  A House Plan Supplement was included in his Steel Square book, with several examples reproduced below.

The book was published by Frederick J. Drake, a Chicago publishing house which specialized in "self-educational" books.