Looking for a particular homesteading book

[MariaAZ]

Back in the '70s a neighbor introduced me to the "back to earth movement" and the goodness that was the old Mother Earth News. She gave me a rather thick paperback book that was about how to be independent on a small amount of land under 5 acres. I was a pre-teen back then so I don't remember a lot, but it seemed to have been written around the time I got it. One thing I remember is the author talking about how profitable strawberries could be on a couple acres of land. He/she also said that with five acres dedicated strictly to crop production, one could achieve a level of independence.

This was NOT the book "5 Acres and Independence" by MG Kains. I have that one and it seems mostly profit-oriented. As I remember, the book I'm looking for concentrated mostly on subsistence farming and had a definite "60's/70's peace and love" type feel to it, seemed to promote this type of subsistance farming as a lifestyle rather than a job.

Does this book ring a bell with anyone?

[Bonnie L]

I'd be willing to bet it's "One Acre and Security: how to live off the earth without ruining it" by Bradford Angier. It came out in 1972.

If it's the one you're looking for, there a quite a few inexpensive copies at abebooks.com, several of them are new.

At your service!

[MariaAZ]

You know, that sounds familiar. I'll check it out. The book I'm looking for made such a deep impact on me back then, I really want to find it again.

Thanks a million!

ETA; I think this might be it! I read the exerpts and table of contents on Amazon and Google, and it definitely has the "feel" of the book I'm looking for. Didn't see anything about strawberries, but maybe it was grapes he was talking about. At any rate, the public library has an available copy so I reserved it

[Bonnie L]

Abebooks has pictures of the cover. The chapters cover EVERYTHING - Country Living near the Cities, Building Your Own Home in the Country, The ABC's of Organic Gardening, Making Money with the Ancient Art of Herb Culture, Getting Healthy and Wealthy from Honey, Raising and Selling Rabbits and Earthworms, Running a Poultry Farm Without a Hitch, Setting up to be a Sheep Farmer, Secrets of Successful Pig Farming - and Tips on Guinea Pigs Too, Successful Dairy Farming with Cows and Goats, Fish, Frogs, and Turtles for Profit, Food, and Fun, Groceries and Fine Wine from Grapes and Other Fruit, Hitting the Trail from Your Acre, Eating from Nature's Free Banquet Table, Where the Hunting and Fishing are Better.

It's a fun book!

[MariaAZ]

The funny thing is, when I saw a photo of the table of contents it looked SOOOO familiar...

[djberg]

You should also check out Scott and Helen Nearing's "Good Life" series. They wrote some books that sound similar. I seem to remember an issue or chapter about "Five Acres Enough." ( Which was a play on the classic 19th century book Ten Acres Enough ). There's a compilation of their books, just called "The Good Life" on Amazon.com

Don

Donald Berg
The Country Home Journal

[whiterock]

look into John Vivian's the Manual of Practical Homesteading, I think it came out around 76 or 78