05/03/09, 09:51 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 10,813
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We have them. The anthologies are the articles from the magazines bound into volumes, so there is no one author. The plus side is there is a lot of info and they are easy to keep up with compared to the magazines. The downside is that there are a lot of repetitive themes, so in digging some idea out you have to go from one anthology volume to the next to get an overview of a subject.
Jackie Clay is simply awesome as a do-er as well as an author of articles in the magazine. I have no idea where she gets the energy and drive to do what she is doing. Silvera is interesting for a different viewpoint from the mainstream. Some of what he writes is insightful and a good education. Some, not so much, but interesting none the less. Dave himself is the same way. He gets a little strident from time to time, but good for him. It makes him authentic rather than pedantic.
When you read through the entire series, you get a sense that there is a very defined area that the magazine covers, but that it doesn't break out of that in any way. Because of that, it doesn't exhibit the freedom of spirit and innovation that is present in other publications, and it suffers badly from that. What do I mean by innovation? Pick up an issue of "Farm Show" or "Make" magazines and see the new ways of utilizing existing material and equipment people are creating. Pick up the Mother Earth News CDs of the early issues, and see how explorations were made into any number of areas. Yeah, TMEN was flawed, but it had energy that almost sparked off the pages.
Backwoods is a good solid publication, but sometimes it feels like it is just slogging along rather than rushing to bring readers new ideas. Now that Dave's daughter has taken over the helm, there might be a few minor changes, but I don't see any big shifts, and I'm not sure where magazines in general are headed.
I read A LOT. I cut my subscriptions down this year from a high of about 20 concurrent subscriptions (in addition to the books I read). If I sound like I'm giving a review, I guess I am.
Would I recommend buying the anthologies? Yes, there is no question that for most people on the Homesteading Today forums, they are a gold mine of resources. Outside of the target audience though, I think they might just sit on a shelf. Don't give them as gifts unless you know the person will appreciate them.
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