Non-Fiction That Helped you get started

[Archangel]

BSA handbook, Bible, and SAS Survival guide. Just a start.

[bee_pipes]

Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening - not the crappy new one, the old 1959, 1145 page version. Excellent for most topics - got me started beekeeping back in the 90's

The Humanure Handbook - http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html

Treasures of Simple Living - http://www.innerexplorations.com/catsimple/tr1a.htm