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The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency: The Classic Guide for Realists and Dreamers
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| List Price: | £20.00 |
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Product Description
Make the break, realise the dream and start living "The Good Life!" Packed with comprehensive information on all the practicals, from ploughing fields to milking cows, as well as new information on how to create an urban organic garden and harness natural energy. This new and revised full-colour edition of the illustrated classic is an engrossing read and a wonderful handbook for realists and dreamers alike.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1037 in Books
- Published on: 2003-04-03
- Original language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 312 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
Everyone dreams at some point in their lives of living the good life, albeit not in terms of the BBC comedy series. In this revised and fully updated edition of John Seymour's classic guide to self-sufficiency, the dream becomes more attainable. Now running a School of Self-Sufficiency in Ireland, John Seymour is as committed as ever to living a better life, more simply, by living off the land rather than out of shops. His magnum opus covers every conceivable topic from animal husbandry and butchering, seed sowing and cropping, dairy production and food storage, rubbish and recycling. All delivered in Seymour's inimitable, occasionally brusque style, it is a mine of information artfully illustrated with the original illustrations redrawn in full colour. New material includes GM crops, urban gardens and alternative forms of energy with craft skills rounding the picture of natural wholesomeness off nicely. A classic of its time and a new classic in the making, this revised edition will encourage and assist all those aspiring to a live a healthier, more environmentally friendly life. - Lucy Watson
About the Author
John Seymour is the acknowledged founding father of the self-sufficiency movement. Author of more than 40 books, he draws students from around the world to learn self-sufficiency first hand at his farm in County Wexford.
Customer Reviews
The 'How-to' for Dreamers
The most wonderful book, which tells you just enough about everything you might need to know.
John Seymour looks at how to be self-sufficient with whatever you have - from a window-box, to 1 acre, to 5 or 10 acres, to 100+ acres. When you are making do with a window-box, this book also provides excellent and realistic day-dreaming opportunities about upgrading to a real smallholding!
He obviously knows what he is talking about - there is no wasted space, or idle talk. Every sentence not only useful but interesting. Even the most experienced farmer could learn something new here, as the book covers a vast range of skills for life, from preparing land and growing food to butchering animals and storing food. The book is well laid-out, with line-drawn colour illustrations which are very helpful.
This book is very matter of fact and doesn't preach the virtues of the good life, but you will find yourself wanting it. It's like a detailed instruction book for something that you very much want to buy.
Brilliant, worth its weight in gold!
What can i say about this book, if you have read or seen the first this is a brilliant book, its longer, and hasnt lost any of the detail of the first one. Its full of information about skills, crops, livestock and all the things you need to know to live the good life!
Brilliant hardback book, from the guru of the self sufficiency movement, John Seymour, himself. If you ever meet this man, You will know that you have met a man thats know whats hes talking about, he has done this himself and through his writing, it shows!
"Complete" is generous, but an excellent buy nonetheless
For those considering adopting a self-sufficient lifestyle, this book is an excellent beginners text.
The sheer breadth of the subject means that this can never truly be a "complete" guide - that would run to thousands of pages - but it gives enough of a taster on vegetable gardening, field-crop cultivation, livestock rearing and practical skills for one to decide how far to go along a self-supporting route.
The book would benefit from a more extensive bibliography and the glossery is a little patchy, but the philosophy and general guidence are spot on.
