"Mother Earth News is proud to publish a completely revised and updated edition of the most popular book we have ever produced.A comprehensive guide to rediscovering economical food, fuel, shelter, clothing, and comfort, Living On Less is the starting point for an independent and sane life. From buying and building homes and reducing energy expenses to growing an entire family's food on a small plot, the contents of this handbook were written in the hope that an entirely new generation of homesteaders would capture the dream of a life lived on the land."
In this second edition, we have changed as little as possible, seeking to retain the sense of youthful innocence and back-to-the-land enthusiasm of MOTHER's early days. You'll find a few 1970's attitudes almost quaint, many then-contemporary references dated, prices and income figures unbelievably low, and inflation and interest rates alarmingly high.
Ideas, products, and techniques that are common knowledge now are presented as if they'd just been discovered...which was the case when these real-life accounts were first recorded. Also, you may find the writing a bit labored; often as not, it was based on a long letter written by lantern light in the wood-heated kitchen of a log house during brief rest periods between chores.
What endures, however, is the solid value of the commonsense advice offered by MOTHER's first readers ["them that's doin' it" in the hip language of the times] as they bring alive the timeless appeal of a life of sturdy independence on the land, a harmony with nature and using a minimum of the earth's finite resources.
Truly, living (better) on less."
If you're thinking of a move to the country and a more independent lifestyle, learn from those who successfully did it in the "back-to-the-land" movement of the 1970's and 1980's. This book is a gem, filled with wise advice and warnings, effective tips and techniques, and pithy, well-tested directions for many - if not all - of the practical things you'll need to know then, but may have never done before. A superb addition to any self-reliant living library!
Paperback, 287 pages.
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"The SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea" - John Wiseman [Note: this is the US edition; the British edition is shown above - the contents are the same in both editions, only the covers and sizes differ]
"The Complete Wilderness Training Book" - Hugh McManners
"Camping And Woodcraft" - Horace Kephart
"Wilderness Living" - Gregory J. Davenport
"Wilderness Survival" - Gregory J. Davenport
"Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness" - John McPherson and Geri McPherson
"Primitive Wilderness Skills, Applied And Advanced" - John McPherson and Geri McPherson
"Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills" - David Wescott, Society of Primitive Technology
"Primitive Technology II: Ancestral Skills from the Society of Primitive Technology" - edited by David Wescott, Society of Primitive Technology
"Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills" - Thomas J. Elpel
"Making Arrows the Old Way" - Doug Wallentine
"Old Tools, New Eyes: A Primal Primer of Flintknapping
" - Bob Patten and Richard Jagoda
"Early Hunting Tools: An Introduction to Flintknapping" - Matt Gravelle
"Flintknapping" - Paul Hellweg
"Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools" - John C. Whittaker
"Earth Knack: Stone Age Skills for the 21st Century" - John C. Whittaker
"US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76" - Department of Defense
"How To Survive On Land And Sea" - Frank C. Craighead
"Aboman's Guide to Survival And Self-Reliance: Practical Skills for Interesting Times" - Joseph A. Bigley
"Practical Outdoor Survival: A Modern Approach" - Len McDougall
"Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants" - Steve Brill
"Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants" - Bradford Angier
"Edible Wild Plants" - Thomas S. Elias, Peter A. Dykeman
"Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants" - Tom Brown, Jr
"Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America" - Roger Tory Peterson and Lee A. Peterson
"The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America" - Francois Couplan, Ph.D., and James A. Duke
"A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America" - James A. Duke and Steven Foster
"Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival" - Tom Brown, Jr.<