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11/03/11, 08:29 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Mechanicville NY
Posts: 95
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Any good books on homesteading?
Hi Everyone
I am new to this website. I have been trying to step back from the insane lifestyle that I have. I am planning to escape in about 6 years to a place far far away from what I now call home. The countryside I grew up in is in the middle of a huge urban and suburban explosion. I cant even count the cars that race by my house everyday.
I have been trying to grow some food and get closer to what my grandparents had. Been working 2 jobs since 1981 so my time is very limited so what little time to do have I have been trying to read up on this whole lifestyle change I am so desprately trying to get to.
So far I have read some stuff by Roger Welsch (Forty Acres and a Fool)...A bunch books by author Michael Perry....and my latest book I am trying to read is Gene Logsdon called "The Contrary Farmer". All great books but I am thirsty for more.
So is there any other good books on this whole life style change I am planning to get to.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
MikeC
(Upstate NY)
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11/03/11, 08:43 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Worcestershire, England
Posts: 474
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Hi, Mike. There are lots of good books out there!
Anything by John Seymour, the Foxfire series and Carla Emery's Encyclopaedia of Country Living for starters!
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11/03/11, 09:53 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Northeastern KY
Posts: 1,038
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Six years ago, we moved 2 hours away from our rural-turned-suburban home to a farm out in nowhere. I haven't missed that life yet. I second the vote for Carla Emry! As my teens would say, "she's the bomb." I wouldn't wait 6 years to escape, though, if there were anyway you could help it.
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11/03/11, 04:24 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 5,206
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You might check out Carol Deppe. She seems to be a new voice in the line of food production for sustainibility. And welcome to the forum, check out the various sub-forums, too.
geo
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11/03/11, 05:07 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: PA
Posts: 912
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Many good how-to books out there, but one that is actually fun to read is Sue Robishaw's Homesteading Adventures.
__________________
The government can't give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
--Dr. Adrian Rogers
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11/03/11, 08:46 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: north central Pennsylvania
Posts: 3,682
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there are so many really good homesteading books. The ones that come to mind are by Helen and Scott Nearing. The "orginial" back to the landers" in the 60's..The book not the magazine of today and it isn't just for women written in the 80's.. Country Women by Jeanne Tetrault, Woodstove Cookery by Jane Cooper, Raising Small Livestock by J. Bellinger and of course, the magazine Countryside begun by him also..The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs, Root Cellaring by Nancy Buble and of course...any and ALL of the past Mother Earth Magazines you can find. The "now" MENS are OK..but get your hands on the early 70's and 80's ones. Backwoods magazine and also Back Home Again magazines too. I wish you the very best in your move. But, a word of advice from an "older" homesteader from the 70's..don't wait too long. The years go past quickly and often if you wait until everything is perfect you will not make the move. Please keep in touch with us and tell us how your are doing in the days to come. I think you will have plenty of reading material for the winter. Good Luck !!
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11/03/11, 11:32 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,769
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11/03/11, 11:52 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: New York
Posts: 236
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Welcome Mike!
Another vote for Encyclopedia of Country Living. I read it cover to cover before moving and still pull it out years later if I have a question.
I also enjoyed all of Gene Logsdon's books.
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11/04/11, 07:57 AM
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I love South Dakota
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 5,266
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I bought a new copy of the Encyclopedia of Country living, and had to put it down after reading a few excerpts. This edition was put out after Carla's death, so I don't know if someone else had a heavy hand in editing, or if she was very "environmentally active".
I got tired of the constant referral to Global Warming, it made me feel like I was reading someone's political agenda. There is a lot of good information, but I don't want to be told repeatedly that I should be doing things this way to protect the environment from Global Warming.
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11/04/11, 08:16 AM
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zone 5 - riverfrontage
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Forests of maine
Posts: 5,872
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One problem with books is that some are written with a very idealist mindset, to paint a far more wonderful picture than reality would show.
The leaders of the 'good life' set are the Nearings; but they are criticized for actually being independently wealthy, their homestead never actually supported them, and much of the work 'they' did was hired labor.
It becomes difficult to find an author who will tell the whole story.
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11/04/11, 07:58 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: SE Ohio
Posts: 70
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Mike - I have a 1996 edition of Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living" that I'd be happy to sell you. It's in excellent condition.
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11/04/11, 08:06 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: W Mo
Posts: 9,276
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The books we have gotten the most use out of are Back to Basics, and the Chilton's manuals for whatever vehicles we currently have. Although a lot of stuff is available on youtube now that you used to have to know somebody who could show you, or read in a book.
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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
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11/05/11, 08:56 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 156
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I'd also recommend books by "Storey" I have the big one about country living skills, also a couple others. They are titled like "Storey's guide to pigs" Storey's guide to __" I have found them helpful.
__________________
 Homesteading, homeschooling, over-opinionated mama!
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11/06/11, 09:55 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Mechanicville NY
Posts: 95
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HI Everyone
I am thinking I better get reading up on this stuff before I make the plunge from the consumer world (aka the insane life we think we need !!!)..to the more do-it yourself world I so dearly long for....I look back on my grandparents and I always thought they were you know...so backwoods kinda folk...kinda funny now 40 years later I really cant see any future in this lifestyle that I try to lead now...and I really wanna get back to doing more stuff myself....
I am going to start learning more from this wonderful website and get planning my escape back to the past...
MikeC
PS Does anybody know someone who wants a house that used to be in the country...beautiful upstate NY...lots of trees..backs up to a small lake...3 minutes from the interstate..Saratoga horse race track 10 minutes away... 
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11/06/11, 11:09 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Southern Idaho
Posts: 4,032
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Won't add to the list of recommended books, but wanted to say welcome Mike! Great folks here on HT and you'll learn quite a bit just reading through the forums.
__________________
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11/06/11, 02:25 PM
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Voice of Reason
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 33,719
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My specific homesteading objective was to become mortgage-free. Naturally I was drawn to Rob Roy's book Mortgage Free. I haven't read the second edition, but the first edition didn't provide a lot of useful information. My conclusion was that the author was better at writing books than he was at finding affordable land & shelter.
Before reading the book I was an eBay land vendor. I can tell you with confidence that if all the author knows about obtaining affordable land is what was in his book, he wouldn't make it as an eBay land vendor. In fact, you could actually find land cheaper advertised at eBay than by using the methods in his book.
I've read other homesteading-related books (Five Acres and Independence for example), but I haven't had a lot of luck with any of them. You'll learn a lot more by browsing the Homesteading Today forum than by reading any book on the market.
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