I received both these books when they came out in the late 1970s. Many have been the times that I had these books out in the garden, the barn, or the kitchen, saying “Now, how do you do that?” Unfortunately, both John Seymour and Carla Emery have died. Fortunately, they both lived as they wrote. I particularly like Seymour’s presentation of the one acre family homestead without a milk cow, and the 5 acre homestead with a milk cow. NB: I would have changed Seymour’s title to A Guide to being Self Supporting through God’s Providence. In Emery’s book I like how she starts out with a very basic question: “How do you make a rabbit stew?” “Well, FIRST you catch a rabbit.” “Well, how do you catch a rabbit?” Good stuff in both books!
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour
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- Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
- Pub. Date: March 2003
- ISBN-13: 9780789493323
- Sales Rank: 17,247
- 312pp
- Edition Description: 1 AMER ED
- Edition Number: 1
Synopsis
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more. This new edition includes 150 new fullcolor illustrations and a special section in which John Seymour the father of the backtobasics movement explains the philosophy of self-sufficiency and its power to transform lives and create communities. More relevant than ever in our high-tech world, The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the ultimate practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.
Library Journal
When Seymour’s The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency was first published in 1976, it became a handbook for those seeking a simple, self-supporting way of life. Now this out-of-print classic is available in a revised edition, which basically contains the same information, namely, lots of advice on growing food, raising animals, and preparing and preserving food. One chapter focuses on crafts; another discusses energy production for the homestead. The two editions have almost the same illustrations, but those in the newer edition are in full color and on glossy paper, making this volume much more attractive. In addition, an updated bibliography includes web sites, associations, and seed suppliers. It would be hard to find another similar book with so much information on small-scale farming in one place. This book, along with Seymour’s revised The Forgotten Arts and Crafts, will appeal to those seeking simpler and environmentally responsible ways of living: “This way of life suits me,” writes Seymour, “it has kept me fit and at least partly sane into my 89th year, and it has prevented me from doing too much harm to our poor planet.” Recommended for all libraries, even if they already own the earlier edition.-Ilse Heidmann, Washington State Lib., Olympia Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Encyclopediaof Country Living, The Old Fashioned Recipe Book by Carla Emory
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Absolutely Outstanding!
Jake W, A reviewer, 08/04/2008
For anyone who plans to ‘move back to the land’ or if your already there, this book is a must! It will teach you everything you need to know on country living as if you have your grandpa or grandma at your side, showing you how to do it. I loved it and I can’t wait to try EVERYTHING in this book
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Lee in the Mountains 
Y’all can come over to MY house, and catch as many rabbits as you can carry! Those darn beasties are everywhere in our suburban nirvana, and one was even ensconced in our ‘victory garden’ and wouldn’t budge, until I threatened it. The Chicken wire fence went up that afternoon.
Now, if you can find a reason why Japanese Beetles attacked our apple tree, I’d be happy to hear… to prevent a similar destruction NEXT year.