I've been collecting a group of books in preparation for dealing with Y2K and have thoroughly enjoyed reading them. The ideas they present and produce by taking you "out of the box" really give our family a sense of readiness as we move forward. This weekend found us continuing the dig of our root cellar (by hand - quite a chore but boy are we getting into shape!) and reading a lot.

My favorite book, hands down, if I had to choose only one would be Carla Emery's. Not only is the book filled with page after page of wisdom and wonderful anecdotes, but for those of you single GI's looking to hitch up with a woman, Carla models the exemplary GI female.

After that, I'd have to say that Rodale's "Getting the Most From Your Garden." I don't know if it's still in print (praise God I have kept it all of these years!) but its ISBN is 0-87857-291-0. If you don't know much about organic bed gardening, this book answers every question, including how to companion plant.

Our other books which have proven helpful are:

Ortho's Home Improvement Encyclopedia (comprehensive and not too expensive) Seed to Seed, by Suzanne Ashworth Root Cellaring, by Nancy Bubel (I couldn't get this from Amazon - I had to order through Borders)

Now, I know the forum has probably listed great books before - and ours are only food - what others would you recommend? What non-food survival books? Hunting/trapping?

Looking forward to responses...

-- Brett (savvydad@aol.com), February 28, 1999

Answers

Carla Emery's "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" is indeed a very good book and fairly inexpensive. Amazon has it at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/091 2365951/qid=920257220/sr=1-1/002-8482042-0032646

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), February 28, 1999.

My wife has been impressed with:

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, ISBN # 0-87857-341-0 She is planning to try the concept this spring.

-- lparks (lparks@eurekanet.com), February 28, 1999.

...NOW...HEAR...THIS

If you can have only one book get CARLA

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), February 28, 1999.

gardening - two from Rodale: All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening and The Organic Gardener's Handbook of natural Insect and Disease Control.

survival stuff: Live Off the Land in the City and Country, by Ragnar Benson for some basic ideas on survival living.

good stuff to know: Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them, by Rolfe Cobleigh.

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), February 28, 1999.

Besides Carla,I too strongly recommend Square Foot Gardening especially if you have small spaces or even a big space but a lot of mouths to feed. I also picked up a book on hydroponics and one on greenhouses so that we can have fresh greens up north in the cold winter.Something on home medicine would be good too. Not recommending anyone special, just that a good book on these topics may very well be needed. I also was able to recollect a whole collection of Mother Earth News at the ebay auctions.They cover about every topic imaginable from solar to raising anything animal, vegetable or human.Well worth the price and the shipping if you can get a whole collection and not by the copy.Oldest ones are the best.

-- sue (deco100@aol.com), March 01, 1999.