Lets have some folks list their favorite or most commonly referred to books. I'm always looking to expand my library whenever the opportunity presents itself.

So far, I've learned and put into practice many things from that Reader's Digest publication... the large, bound collection of country living tips... cannot remember the name. I'm sure many folks here have it.

I need to pick up a copy of Carla's Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living". Anybody have an extra copy to sell?

Cheers, otter

-- otter360 (kitchen@eng.fsu.edu), April 09, 2002

Answers

If no one has it here check with ABE books or Alibris. They search everywhere and service was prompt. The books are cheaper than on Ebay!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 09, 2002.

My favorite gardening book is Dick Raymond's yearbook of gardening. Month by month, step by step instructions. Doesn't matter though. My thumbs are so black I can't grow mold.

-- Judy (JMcFerrin@aol.com), April 09, 2002.

Before moving from the New York City to the country, I ordered these titles from amazon.com and they have been very helpfull:

Antique Tractor Bible Ford Tractor Implements (Farm Tractor Color History) Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners : Cattle, Goats, Sheep, Horses, Pigs, Poultry, Rabbits, Dogs, Cats

Small-Scale Livestock Farming : A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit Build It Better Yourself by Organic Gardening Magazine Editors Grow It! : The Beginner's Complete In-Harmony-With-Nature Small Farm Guide

Your New Life in the Country : How to Plan and Manage It for Enjoyment and

Backyard Livestock : Raising Good Natural Food for Your Family Building Small Barns, Sheds and Shelters Fences for Pasture and Garden

Storey's Basic Country Skills : A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats: Breeds, Care, Dairying Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep: Breeds, Care, Facilities Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry: Breeds, Care, Health Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks: Breeds, Care, Health Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits: Breeds, Care, Facilities Chilton's Small Engine Repair Up to 20 Hp Yard & Garden Tractor : Service Manual Riding Lawn Mower : Service Manual/Rlms-4

The Encyclopedia of Country Living : An Old Fashioned Recipe Book

I usually follow the forum for other recommendations on books, so my reference library continues to grow. Also, don't forget magazines, currently I receive CountrySide and the Dairy Goat Journal, I recommend both for good country info.

-- David (davidkennedy@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

My favorite is definitely Carla Emery's encyclopedia of country living. People on the forum suggested this book to me a month ago and I bought it. Glad I did, there is so much information in it. I also purchased some Black and Decker major repair manuals that are easy to understand. It has step by step procedures and tells you all the tools and supplies you need in order to complete the work.

Rita

-- Rita (rlynchjarss@aol.com), April 09, 2002.

I also purchased Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living when it was suggested on the forum. I think it is a great book - we've already learned so much from it I can't believe it. The infomation on storing fresh garden produce is wonderful - found out much of what we did wrong last year, and great tips for planting this year. I've been concentrating on the gardening sections, but was also impressed by what I skimmed in the rest of the book.

-- Debbie in IL (debbie@fli-soft.com), April 09, 2002.

All of Gene Logsdon's books are fabulous - _The Contrary Farmer_ is a good general place to start, but I also have his (out of print) Organic Orcharding book, his Wildlife in the Garden book and I'm looking for a copy of his Grain Growing book as well. There are others I haven't read, too.

-- Sharon in NY (astyk@brandeis.edu), April 09, 2002.

here are the most dog-eared homesteading related books on my shelf. there are lots of others but I spend more time with these.

Gardening: "Crockett's Victory Garden", James Underwood Crockett - arranged in a monthly "to-do" kind of way that helps me keep on schedule. (ha)

General homesteading: "How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty", Janet Chadwick; "Back to Basics", Reader's Digest

General Critters: "Backyard Livestock", Steven Thomas - very basic overview of many different types of animals.

Construction: "Building Small Barns, Sheds and Shelters", Monte Burch - lots of ideas for projects I never seem to get around to starting.

guess I should get the Carla book but it always seems pricey and has that cheap cover...

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

A couple not yet listed would be:

Five Acres and Independence by M. G. Kains copywrite 1935 (ours is a 1941 edition) A very interesting read.

Build It Better Yourself (Organic Gardening) Rodale Press

-- Scotsirish (notreal@anywhere.net), April 09, 2002.

Among my favorites are: The Have More Plan (great info if you have small acreage), Practical Skills by Gene Logsdon, The Homesteading Manual by Farmstead Magazine, Raising Small Livestock by Jerome Belanger, The Family Cow by Dirk Van Loon, Rasiing a Calf for Beef by Phyllis Hobson, Carla Emery's book (of course) and my all-time- favorite (kind of my homesteading bible - because it is what got me into homesteading to being with) The Manual of Practical Homesteading by my hero John Vivian. For beginning beekeeping the absolute best is a Beekeeping for Dummies.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), April 09, 2002.

The New Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel

The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch

Kitchen Garden Magazine (I guess it is out of prine now)

Some of my grandfathers old garden books. Champanion planting books too!

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 09, 2002.

My John Seymour collection and the last 5 years of Countryside that I have bindered.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.

Oh, forgot to include my last four years of personal journals, which are my most referred to reference material.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.

I agree with Sharon in NY, I like everything I've read of Gene Logsdon's. Especially Homesteading; The Contrary Farmer; and The Contrary Farmer's Invitation to Gardening.

Probably my all time favorite is The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman. I also really like You Can Farm by Joel Salatin.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), April 09, 2002.

Eliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest.

Gaia's Garden.

-- seraphima (seraphima@ak.net), April 09, 2002.

Any of Gene Logsdon's books ---

(Sharon in NY, I found Grain Growing on Half.com last week, when I put in a search for his books.)

Build It Better Yourself (Rodale) GREAT book.

Any of Dick Raymond's books (Garden Way) --- Joy of Gardening is my favorite. (Years ago, I learned from this book about simple raised-bed gardening w/o the cost of building permanent raised beds with boards -- forever changed the way we garden our vegies. Very down-to-earth.)

Seeds-The Ultimate Guide to Growing Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers by Sam Bittman -- Beautiful book, photo IDs, down-to-earth instruction on planning, growing, pages for planning and journalling.

Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer's Journal by David Kline -- one of my absolute favorite books. Not a homesteading book in the strict sense of the word, but rather a book (to me)of inspiration. Reminds us why we choose to be homesteaders/countrysiders.

Edwin Way Teale's books are wonderful. As above, not homesteading books, per se. Just inspiring and reminds us of why we live out beyond the sidewalks. The Seasons series (Wandering Through Winter, etc.), A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm and A Walk Through the Year are wonderful.

Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living is absolutely indispensable, as far as I am concerned. It is the single most comprehensive book concerning our lifestyle that I have come across. Would love to see it in spiralbound, but absolutely worth every cent spent on it -- softbound cover not a drawback to me. I covered mine with clear contac paper, knowing it would get dog-eared otherwise. Try eBay or Half.com for a used one, but might have to put on a wishlist and wait for it to come up. I don't think you'd EVER be sorry for investing in a new copy though.

The New Seed-Starter's Handbook by Nancy Bubel

Growing and Using Herbs Successfully by Betty E.M. Jacobs

The Mother Earth News Almanac - A Guide Through the Seasons (paperback, c 1973 by John Shuttleworth) Wonderful down-to- earth "old-era" MEN publication full of gardening wisdom and tons of interesting "on-the-homestead" helps. Out of print last I knew.

We lost all of our books several years ago in a house fire, and the books we have replaced whenever possible (the "can't go any longer without this" kind)are, of course, those we realize were the tops for us. Of some other favorites I have not found again, many were old ones, out of print (can't remember some of the titles)-- had picked them up for a song at sales, then it seems people got smart, and now I can't find many of them. But hey, I can be grateful for having them for some time anyway, huh? Maybe I'll come across some of those titles on threads like this one. (:

Check on sites like ... bookfinder.com .... bookavenue.com ....or half.com for out-of-prints.

Neat idea to encourage folks to share their favorites....thanks!

-- teddy in NE (millerfam@panhandle.net), April 12, 2002.

The 20 minute garden book; can't remember the correct title. Got it at the library.

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), April 13, 2002.

I love Carla Emry's book too. And Gene Logsdon's Contrary Farmer, The Contrary Farmer's Invitation to Gardening, Living at Nature's Pace. Country Women is a great book. It's out of print but I found one at Amazon.com rare and used books. Storey's Guide to Country Skills Coutryside Magazine jd's books on raising livestock I also love Edwin Way Teal's book, A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm. Solviva, by Ana Edy is a beautiful book that is full of innovative and thought provoking ideas. Permaculture in a Nutshell The Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable, by Juliette de Bairacli-Levy The Herbal Handbook for Cats and Dogs, same author Seed to Seed Elliot Coleman's books I refer to my Permaculture class notes a lot The Humanure Handbook Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss Rosemary Gladstar's herbal course workbooks

-- Christine Baillie (towanda515@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.

Carla Emery's book is wonderful - wish I had bought it years ago. I got to meet Carla a couple of years ago & she autographed my book. Neat lady. I check out Gayle Damerow's(sp?) book about chickens often - I've got to buy my own copy - I'm wearing out the library copy. Right now I'm reading Joel Salatin's You Can Farm - love it.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 14, 2002.