The Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency

Manual práctico de la vida autosuficiente

by John Seymour, Will Sutherland

Showing readers how to enjoy a sustainable lifestyle, this easy-to-follow guide not only tells you what to do, but shows you how to do it. Follow practical know-how: from creating an urban organic garden and making wine and beer, to ploughing fields or harnessing natural energy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Green, Gardening

255 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

John Seymour was an idealist - he had a vision of a better world where people aren't alienated from their labours. As a young man, he travelled all over Africa and fought in Burma in World War II. Returning penniless to England, he lived in a trolley bus and on a Dutch sailing barge before settling on a five-acre smallholding in Suffolk to lead a self-sufficient life. He continued this lifestyle with his companion Angela Ashe on the banks of the River Barrow in County Wexford, Ireland. The two had built up the smallholding from scratch over 19 years. In his last years John, Angela and William Sutherland had been running courses in self-sufficiency from their home at Killowen, New Ross. The courses were taken by students from all over the world, who come to Killowen to learn about his lifestyle and philosophies at first hand.

He was the author of over 40 books, including the best-selling The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, and he had made numerous films and radio programmes. Most of his later writing and public campaigning had been devoted to country matters, self-sufficiency and the environment.

In the last 18 months, he was back on his beloved Pembrokeshire farm with his daughter Ann, telling stories to his grandchildren and writing rhyming poetry, with an acerbic wit that was his last weapon against what he saw as our destructive era.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Concise" just about covers it. "Brief" would have been accurate, too. Not enough information to go out and actually make apple cider or keep animals, but enough to appreciate if it's something you want to learn more about. Great collection. In the same spirit as Forgotten Household Crafts, just like a museum in a book.

[Jennifer Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it's concise, so I'm not sure why I expected anything different. Unfortunately for me, I think it might be a little too concise. It's just enough information to get me excited about living off the grid, but not quite enough to keep me from feeling overwhelmed at the prospect. It's a good book for dreaming.

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so now I need to buy a house in the country so I can start composting for that organic garden, build my own outbuildings, make some wine, brew some beer, bake some bread and learn to play the ukulele.
Seriously, though, this has some great ideas for novice, city-dwelling gardeners like myself and very practical advice about crop rotation and what plants like what soil. This will definitely become a reference book.

[David Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good thing to read if you like to daydream about getting an acre off somewhere away from the hustle & bustle on which you can keep some chickens and tend the land and have some homebrew fermenting away out back.

It's a little quick to gloss over the details, but that allows it to cover more ground. It's also a bit UK-centric in many parts, which makes it less-useful to people outside of the isles.

[Timotheus Lesmana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebagai panduan praktis bagi pembaca atau awam dalam membantu mengatasi masalah perubahan iklim yang secara perlahan dialami oleh kita di muka bumi ini.

Bagaimana kita berperilaku mulai dari kebun atau taman disekitar kita, mengkonsumsi makanan dari alam, menggunakan dan memanfaatkan energi dan sampah yang ada. dan hal-hal yang yang dapat memberikan solusi dari gejala terjadinya perubahan iklim di masa mendatang.

[Patricia Fultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to move out to the middle of nowhere and live off of the fat of the land. It tells you how to thrive and survive on your blood, sweat, tears, and a can-do attitude. After reading this I found out he has a self-sufficiency school and really wanted to go to it until I found out it was in Ireland. It's somewhat of a dry read unless you're interested in horticulture, animal husbandry, etc.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self-sufficiency looks so lovely when illustrated so beautifully. This is a smaller version of a larger book, designed with urban, or semi-urban people in mind. Includes instructions of how to kill and dress your chickens, among other things I will most likely not need to do.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, very practical. Overwhelmingly useful to my current dreams. It gives me much hope that I can create my possesions, and am now inspired to become somewhat self sufficient.

[Shira and Ari Evergreen]

recommended by sara and orion

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty much everything you need to know if you are the only person left on earth....along with a few farm animals