The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency: The Classic Guide for Realists and Dreamers
by John Seymour
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Description
John Seymour has inspired thousands to make more responsible, eco-friendly choices with his advice on living sustainably. This book offers step-by-step instructions on everything from chopping trees to harnessing solar power; from growing fruit and vegetables, and preserving and pickling your harvest, to baking bread, brewing beer, and making cheese. Seymour shows you how to live off the land, running your own smallholding or homestead, keeping chickens, and raising (and butchering) show more livestock. In a world of mass production, intensive farming, and food miles, Seymour's words offer an alternative: a celebration of the joy of investing time, labour, and love into the things we need. While we aren't all be able to move to the countryside, we can take small steps towards a better way of life. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Wonderful book. Informative illustrations and wide coverage of topics. Most topics are covered only briefly and serve more as a starting point than a comprehensive guide. The writing style is personal and author is very opinionated on everything and not shy of sharing. I'd prefer the guides to be written more matter-of-factly.
The book ends with an admission that living in a group of people who specialise is better. This doesn't detract from the message: you'll be happier if you do more things for yourself.
The book ends with an admission that living in a group of people who specialise is better. This doesn't detract from the message: you'll be happier if you do more things for yourself.
This is the kind of book that was useful before the internet. I'm not sure a reprint was needed. A more clever approach would have been to pare it back and point readers to more exhaustive resources on the web. I like the approach taken by "Urban Homestead" in this regard, which is a broad survey of topics someone interested in self-sufficiency should know about with good leads for where to learn more. All that said, the book is still a good resource for providing broad overview of the topic.
Even though this book has been around a long time and is full of basic solid info.........it is still basic.
excellent and thorough definitely worth buying
Just a wonderful book for anyone considering becoming self-sufficient, on a large or small scale.
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83+ Works 3,572 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1976
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Statistics
- Members
- 453
- Popularity
- 67,771
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (4.45)
- Languages
- 5 — Danish, English, French, German, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 2
