Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills (Back to Basics Guides)

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book! If you are a DIY person, or have a large property with animals and a garden, this will get you through times when money is tight but fixing and creating needs are plenty. I'm in my 70s so I didn't expect to be surprised by the content. I have lived on farmsteads and in rural communities and I learned a lot from my parents about "making do" because they grew up in the Great Depression. My Dad's family was very poor but the kids didn't know because they lived on a farm and ate well. Thay also traded milk, eggs and such. My mom's family was extremely impacted. Grandpa had to leave the family, trying to find work. Grandma often received her neighbor's roast pan drippings to make gravy for her family. Thay really struggled. So, I wanted to have tools in case we had to deal with similar finances. Most of the things in this book are meant for high quality purposes, using what nature provides. If you are applying for the television program, Survivor, get this first! ;) Everything in this book is useful. It was well illustrated and contains pictures with extensive directions. I found things that I never could have imagined, but I would try them, if necessary. And I'll be glad I bought this book! I actually couldn't put it down!

I ordered the hardback book because, well, I wanted it. Lol It's FULL of everything I could ever want to know about "how to" and DIY on the subject of Back To Basics. It covers so many subjects I can't list them all here, with thorough details, instructions, illustrations, and pics. The subjects range from how to build your own house; beekeeping; raising meat, milk animals; soap making; quilting; and building furniture. So very interesting and helpful. Well written and presented, and easy to understand. Excellent instructional book for those who enjoy diy's or just simple/smart common sence knowledge on self-reliance. Brilliant.

I am pleasantly surprised by the volume of topics and the completeness of the instructions! What I did know was nice to see put in logical order, and what I didn't know, I could picture running through it step by step. The illustrations were very helpful and the recipes included all looked so good! The herbal remedies section was a decent intro but I was sad to see mullein left out of the cold remedies (nothing clears the lungs like mullein) and ear ache remedies (mullein flower). I still learned something from this section though. Overall a great read and a wonderful addition to the library.

High quality paper and useful instructions on a thorough list of projects, but it often assumes you have access to a supply chain. Eg you need alum and rendered animal fat to make a candle but I wouldn’t know how to make aluminum potassium sulphate or how to render animal fat with this books information

This book is my attempt at “prepping” haha. Although, to do a really good job I’d have to make sure I have a certain amount of supplies that this book uses. My kids are quite small and I look forward to building some homesteading skills alongside them. I think it’s a shame most people, myself included, don’t have the skills our great-grandparents did (or maybe great-great-great…) I can cook from scratch and do basic sewing so that’s a start!

This book is a welcome addition to my growing library of homesteading and "the old ways" of doing things. I first discovered this book around 2010 or so from the local library (at that time, this would have been the 3rd edition). There are many familiar illustrations, but the author has also added updated photos for some portions, plus included modern conveniences a homesteader may still rely on, such as the internet, when running their household or business. This latest update was in 2014, and yes, I would say that the real estate market has changed so much, making it difficult to find affordable farmland or that cabin in the woods. But it is not impossible. The book is divided into categories: Shelter, Energy, Raising Food, Preserving Food, Home Crafts, and Recreation. While different activities are illustrated or contain step-by-step instruction, I would still consider this book an introduction to these aspects of homesteading or simple living. My husband and I are enjoying reading it and letting it spark conversation for our current pantry preparedness as well as future homesteading plans.

Nice price fast delivery very educational book

This is a very nice, thorough book with lots of illustrations. Purchased as a gift and I think it was well received!

Excellent book come on time

Really cool compilation of articles, great illustrations.

The book is good, but its content is extremely focused on the american peculiarities. Some parts are difficult to extrapolate to other countries.

Out of date information

Un livre très complet sur les savoirs perdus qui va de l'élevage à la vannerie, parfait si on souhaite récupérer un peu d'autonomie . Ce livre donne de très bonnes bases dans une foule de domaine comme les clôtures ou le travail du métal mais aussi des règles de jeu traditionnel. Chaque chapitre est clair concis et donne des sources pour aller plus loin. Je recommande vivement .