| Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition |  | Creator: Abigail R. Gehring
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.99
as of 9/10/2010 07:41 CDT details
You Save: $9.96 (40%)
New (38) Used (10) from $14.95
Seller: cbbooklady
Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 2,301
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 3rd
Pages: 464
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.2
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.6 x 1
ISBN: 1602392331
Dewey Decimal Number: 640.973
EAN: 9781602392335
ASIN: 1602392331
Publication Date: April 17, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9781602392335 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
"Voluntary simplicity" has become a catch phrase for what seems to be a yearning for a simpler, more self-sufficient and economical way of living in the late 20th century. This book, first published in 1981 and recently updated, was probably many folks' first in-depth exposure to the idea of a simpler life, making things by hand, and enjoying a stronger sense of control over personal budgets, home projects, and lifestyles. Hundreds of projects are listed, illustrated in step-by-step diagrams and instructions: growing and preserving your own food, converting trees to lumber and building a home from it, traditional crafts and homesteading skills, and having fun with recreational activities like camping, fishing, and folk dancing without spending a lot of money. This book will have you dreaming and planning from the first page! -- Mark A. Hetts
Product Description
Over 100,000 sold! Now newly revised and up to date, with over 2,000 color photographs and illustrations. Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide. Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle.
Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead. More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment you will find your imagination sparked, and there's no reason why you can't, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this may be the most thorough book on voluntary simplicity available. 2,000 color photos and 200 black-and-white illustrations
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
 best book i've seen in a while August 23, 2010
farmhand
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book. It was packed full of information and illustrations of how to do things for yourself.
"what if" ..... July 27, 2010
Outdoors Mom
this book is an addition to my "what if" library....
An excellent informational, resource and how to book. Along with my other books it will be a very valuable and handy book to have "if....."
One of my favorites July 27, 2010
J. Ray (East Texas)
I only rate things that are very good or very bad. In this case, I have read close to a dozen books on similar topics and this is the best, with second place far behind. Great information, excellent illustrations. Buy this book before you consider any others.
I would buy it again if I had the choice - yet not without reserves July 6, 2010
Stoiculescu Antoniu (Bukarest)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Didn't really get to read the book but I got a thorough look from start to finish. I've been focusing on the energy generation section where I can tell that at least what water heating is concerned the book is not quite up to date (no info on vacuum tubes - which are THE solution especially in winter time; the best teaching I got on this topic was from a German site [...]). The proposed wood as fuel solution seems somewhat unrealistic for today's standards, where we, the so called "civilized society" use up more resources than we readily replace. Therefore a more realistic proposal would have been all-solar (and the connected philosophy of reducing current hogs), and wind or water as complementary sources (however more susceptible to mechanical failure because of moving parts - and at least what wind turbine + masts are concerned these are quite expensive - that's of course if you're looking for a quality solution - I wouldn't bother buying cheap stuff as on the long run it costs more). Also NO INFO ON PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRICITY GENERATION - what the ...? This is the 21th century (if I remember right) !!! There should be at least some information such as cell types, yield of each type, cost, how to choose a PV panel (the more wattage the better, today max is about 200+ watts, I'd go for polycristalline, pressure resistance 5400 pa/sqm for snowy regions, 2-5 years standard warranty, 10 years @ 90% output, 20+ years on 80% output warranty), info on chargers (today's technology would be MPPT) and battery types (gel cell, AGM, lead-acid - I'd go for the latter).
However I cannot think of an aspect the book does not cover - maybe not quite in the depth the perfectionist in me would have liked, however the author has been thoughtful enough to name further resources. This is a big plus for me.
If I had the choice of buying it again with today's knowledge of it, I'd buy it without thinking twice. That is partly because I'm a city boy who knows nothing about living outside the high-rise cage.
good base but not as in debt as i was hoping June 2, 2010
H. Boone (Illinois)
It is a good book about many areas but the instructions sometimes are lacking and not too in debth. good base for you research what you like and follow up with a book that specializes in that subject.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
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