Reviewed by annieb123 on
Old-Time Country Wisdom and Lore for Garden and Trail is a reformat and re-release of almanac information from the 1970s originally written by Jerry Mack Johnson and edited/curated by Jeff McLaughlin. Originally released in the 70's, this re-release from Quarto on their Voyageur Press imprint 12th Oct 2021 is 176 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a wide-ranging collection of "Old Farmer's Almanac" type of wisdom and trivia. The tips and tricks are very roughly arranged thematically: nature trail (weather wisdom, moon lore, and water watching), flora & fauna (trees, flowers, creatures, birds, and bugs), and finally fishing hunting & leisure pursuits (fishing, hunting, and gear).
There are some good science based tips and observations included here but they are blended willy-nilly with old wives & farmers tales without regard to the veracity of any of the claims.
The graphics are simple with old fashioned monochrome illustrations and line drawings throughout. This would be a good selection for the smallholder's winter home library reading, allotments, fans of old farmer's almanac type publications, and similar.
Three and a half stars. It's of limited practical use, but will be enjoyed by people who remember the old almanacs fondly.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 31 October, 2021: Finished reading
- 31 October, 2021: Reviewed