Best Homesteading Book

[Chris1]

Greetings

I have been coming to these forums for quite some time but have not made an account until just now. Anyway, I remember seeing a topic about the best homesteading books, but I can't find it now. I'm looking to find a good overall guide to surviving/homesteading.

I'm mainly interested in trapping, gardening, and preserving food (primarily meat). What would you all consider to be the best book that tackles all of these and many other essential subjects?

Thanks in advance for your help

[LeatherneckPA]

No trapping in these, but I have found these books to be chock full of information on almost every other aspect of being self-sufficient:

John Seymour - The Self-Sufficient Life And How To Live It
Storey Publ - Storey's Guide To Country Living
Carla Emery - The Encyclopedia Of Country Living

and the one that ignited my dreams of self-sufficient living:

Reader's Digest - Back To Basics (a VERY little bit on trapping)

[chloe3388]

Hi Chris1 welcome to the forum, my favorite overall book would be Carla Emery's The Encyclopedia of Country Living. Hope that is some help.

[TNDadx4]

Hey Chris1! Welcome to the forum!

I also have and recommend:

Storey Publishing - Storey's Guide To Country Living
Carla Emery - The Encyclopedia Of Country Living

You might want to check out these as well...

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=sel-other;action=display;num=995032824

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=sel-other;action=display;num=1114758039

[Chris1]

Thank you all for the warm welcoming and the informative replies. I will be checking out these books as soon as I get the chance.

[rivahmom]

Here are some links that will allow you to preview some of the books until you are able to buy them. The same website has many more just type what you are looking for in the search.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6449578/Encyclopedia-of-country-living-Carla-Emery

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6475692/The-Foxfire-Book-Volume-01

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8680857/The-Homesteaders-Handbook-To-Raising-Small-Livestock

[goodwifefarm]

Reader's Digest - Back To Basics (a VERY little bit on trapping)

My folks had a copy of this book from the time I was a little girl. For my high school woodworking project, I made the baby cradle on page 314 and one of the first things I did when I got married and moved out was buy a copy of that book! It stays on the floor beside my end of the couch!

[LeatherneckPA]

My folks had a copy of this book from the time I was a little girl. **It stays on the floor beside my end of the couch! *


Yep, think I first saw my copy in the house somewhere around 1972 or so. It was the first book I asked my Dad to give me when I moved out of the house. And it is the first book (place of honor?) on my bookshelf.

[Rick9Plus]

You have already had multiple replies about Carla Emery's book. I'll add mine to it. I inherited one of Carla's very early hand-mimeographed copies done in the early '70s from her homestead in Kendrick, ID. It is priceless to me.

Other books to consider include:

The Self-Sufficiency Handbook
by Alan Bridgewater

The Self-Reliant Homestead: A Book of Country Skills
by Charles A. Sanders (a BHM contributor)

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by John Storey

Permaculture
by Bill Mollison

Living With Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Flock
by Jay Rossier

Buckshot's Modern Trapper's Guide for Xtreme Safety, Survival, Profit, Pleasure
by Bruce Hemming
(He's got some great videos on trapping and snaring)

I don't think that you will find just one book that does it all well... but these books are a great start on your homesteading library. I also recommend all of the Backwoods Home Magazine Anthologies and CD-ROMS.

[randallhilton]

I'm looking to find a good overall guide to surviving/homesteading.

I realize "The Worst Hard Time" (http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/worst_hard_time/) is totally not what you're looking for but, in a way, it's a good resource because it may give you a better definition of "necessity" as well as an inkling of what's going on around us. And any time you feel like things aren't going your way, refer back to it for perspective. It's also available on Audible.com

In my effort to totally distract you from the "how to" genre, another good one is "40 Acres And No Mule" (http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=IP2uXtQeoBEC&dq=%2240+acres+and+no+ mule%22&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=rm6hqFA y_0&sig=_9qEMYk992g6hT0vvULnaJGE3W0&sa=X&oi=book_r esult&resnum=3&ct=result) What makes this one special is that it reminds us of how the social fabric works outside of the interstate loop. Come to think of it, it's been close to 40 years since I last read this one. I guess I'd better dust it off! Wait a minute . . . could I even read back then? ::)

[flatwater]

The best books are the ones you write your self as your living it.

[manoucherie]

Carla Emry's book is high on everyone's list for good reason- its well written and very thorough. I also Like anything from Rodale Press, the older the better. They have terrific organic gardening books that are very down to earth, if you know what I mean. I think I'll go read one right now.

[Steve_L]

Amazon doesn't come up with "Storey's Guide To Country Living".

I have Emry's book and the Reader's Digest Book.

I need one that talks money. I would sure like to pry into everyone's private finances, but that would be rude.

[LeatherneckPA]

I need one that talks money. I would sure like to pry into everyone's private finances, but that would be rude.
As far as money goes, I don't know of any homesteading books that address the issue.

There are a couple of money books in my library that you might consider. They helped me plan a successful retirement at 50. Sure, they're old but the knowledge is just as applicable, if not more so, now than it was when they were written.

Thomas J. Stanley's The Millionaire Next Door

Joe Dominguez's Your Money Or Your Life

and my personal favorite: Charles Long's How To Survive Without A Salary. It's not about panhandling. It's about "alternative income".

[humbug]

Carla Emerys book tops my list. But a couple of others that approach the issue of making it in the country are:

Five Acres and Independence by M. G. Cains
and
The New Organic Grower by Elliot Coleman. (a book on market gardening)
I think it is hard to write a book that would address all issues of making money without a job as each part of the country has different opportunities. I think it is a matter of looking around and finding a service that is needed and filling that nitch.