The Self-Sufficiency Bible: 100s of Ways to Live More Sustainably Wherever You Are

by Simon Dawson

A fully revised and updated edition of the self-sufficiency classic. Packed with practical information and expert advice on everything from gardening to cooking, and from health and beauty to raising livestock, this is the indispensable guide to living more sustainably, whether you live in a city apartment block or on a rural smallholding.

"A treasure-trove of brilliant ideas and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions" - Adam Henson, BBC One's Countryfile

In our current era of pandemic and environmental crisis, self-sufficiency is a means of taking control of our lives and safeguarding for the future - and this new, fully updated edition of the sustainability classic will help every householder do just that. You'll find all the practical information and expert guidance you need on every aspect of self-sufficiency, from gardening and baking through health, beauty and cleaning to foraging and livestock, whatever your needs, circumstances and resources. This means that the gardening chapter, for example, is appropriate both for people with an urban back yard or a more substantial plot of land.

Written in a down-to-earth, engaging and often amusing style, and charmingly illustrated with line drawings, the book will appeal to anyone who wants to be more creative, resourceful and independent, who wants to rediscover their inner hunter-gatherer, to single people as much as to large families, and to parents looking to equip their children with basic life skills.

• ISBN10: 1786784831
• ISBN13: 9781786784834
• Publish Date: 9 February 2021 (first published 1 April 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Watkins Publishing
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781786784834

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Self-Sufficiency Bible: Window Boxes to Smallholdings is a collection of tutorials and tips for more self reliant lifestyle whatever the reader's current situation. First published in 2011, this reformat and re-release second edition is due out 9th Feb 2021 from Watkins Publishing. It's 337 pages and will be available in paperback format (other editions available in various other formats).

This is a very well and logically laid out book with hundreds of tips and small (to larger) tutorials. It's not a step by step manual for self-sufficiency to be followed slavishly. In fact there are so many small changes from which to choose that virtually all readers will find something to incorporate into their daily lives to move in a more self sustaining and self-reliant direction.

The way consumerist society is set up is an unsustainable cycle of buy-use-discard which has to move ever faster to maintain forward momentum. The very scary reality is that the vast majority of urban dwellers have nearly zero food security. This book provides numerous tips for increasing food and resource security and diminishing reliance on transport and resource heavy supply chains (which eat up even more of the scarce resources and increase costs astronomically).

The author is a former urbanite who made a paradigm shift to self sufficiency in the early 2000s and now teaches other how to life more simply and self-sustainably.

This book is a goldmine of good advice from homemade dog biscuits to building a hoop house to setting up the first vegetable garden to butchering small stock. There are stops along the way to revisit crafts (basketry, tanning, jewellery-making, candle & papermaking, woodcarving and the like) as well as cooking, preserving, and sausage making. The tutorials and crafts are -very- basic and will need further elaboration to really make much progress, but it does provide a starting point for further research.

In a lot of really good ways, this book reminds me of John Seymour's iconic Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, but with a lot more humor and, frankly, understanding for the modern lifestyle. There is no photography included in this volume; it's illustrated with clear retro-feeling line drawings. Most of the instruction is very brief and basic.

Four stars. Heartily recommended to all smallholders, dreamers, and readers looking for a more independent life with less reliance on commercial sources. This would also make a superlative selection for makers' groups, community/cooperative gardens and allotment collectives.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.