The Encyclopedia of Country Living:

Encyclopedic indeed: this book is 851 large pages (not including the index) of just about everything you could need to know to live self-sufficiently. While no one book has it all, this one does touch on some subjects that I haven't come across before in my extensive reading, such as giving birth in primitive conditions, caring for your dead, making vinegar (not flavored vinegar but vinegar from scratch), and how to make real animal rennet from the stomach of a calf.

Carla Emery is spoken of reverently by many in the self sufficiency community and as far as I can tell may be the American equivalent of John Seymour, the old hand who has done it all and speaks from experience (in the rare instance that she can't claim expertise, she calls show more one in to speak on the topic). Self sufficiency is not a hobby but a lifestyle and as such encompasses all aspects of life. Emery seems to understand this. show less

Mine is the 9th edition. There are many more. That alone should tell you this is a keeper. Speak with folks interested in land, garden, animal husbandry, etc, and this book WILL come up eventually. Everyone has a copy or knows someone who does. More information than most of us will ever need, yet the thin newsprint pages that make this phonebook size book lap reading in your favorite chair (or tree stump) will keep you coming back again and again. If someone responds to an earlier edition with good info, Carla Emery includes that information (in their own words) in her next edition.

Reading this is like sitting down in a room full of homesteaders and listening to them gab. Sure, you may never need to know how to give birth by yourself show more in the winter, but isn't it great to know the information is there is you do need it? Maybe you won't need to know how to birth a lamb, but that part on growing grain might be just what you need. If you can do it on a homestead, it IS in this book.

Get the latest edition, and rest easy knowing Carla has your back. show less

An excellent, obscure book, written with wit and flair. I found much to learn in this book, and was highly entertained along the way by the author's often hilarious stories of life on her farm with her husband, kids, and livestock.

I just skimmed through this giant book, and I can see how useful it would be if I lived in the country, had a farm, or gardened more seriously than I currently do. This book is like several books smashed into one. It covers almost all bases - growing, preserving, cooking veggies, grains, legumes, etc, raising animals and maybe even eating them too (I skipped the last chapters about animals).

Full of useful information (I bought it for the stuff on growing and preserving vegetables). A bit too much God in it for my taste, but that's the way many Americans see the world, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised.

A must for those who seek to live self sufficiently. From hoe to pick the right spot of land to purchase, to planting instructions for vegetables, to how to give birth alone, this book has advice for practically every situation in life.

Yep, it's true. I have three different editions of this book. They differ slightly, and I'm always afraid that something useful might not be in a newer version; because, my friends, these books ARE useful. Some things are just worth having multiple copies of.