Customer Reviews

Foxfire 3: Animal Care, Banjos and Dulcimers, Hide Tanning, Summer and Fall Wild Plant Foods, Butter Churns, Ginseng, and Still More Affairs of Plain Living

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All of the foxfire books have a similar format: interviews with elders who practice a specific handicraft. And in the telling you can learn a lot of good details, but these books are not meant to teach you how to do any of these crafts, they are simply recording the knowledge of these elders. There are much better how-to's out there for skills. For a general book, get "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", for a book on hide-tanning get "Deerskins into Buckskins", both available from amazon.com

I own, read and use almost all of the Foxfire books. Actually, we owe both the Foxfire people and we certainly owe the characters of a gone generation. This work, Volume III, is like the others. A wonderful history of how it was. In this day and age of having most needs meet and something for everyone on the Wal-mart shelf, we tend to forget just what it was like in our not too distant past. These books, the Foxfire books, brings to light skills, attitudes and a way of life that is all but forgotten. Do be warned though, as one reviewer has pointed out, these are not step by step "how to do it" books. But This is sort a good thing as the how to books out there are sort of a dime a dozen any more. When a people lose their history, they lose part of their soul. As the title of this work states, this addresses many of the old forgotten skills and there is so much more. The editors have done a wonderful job. They have made a very honest effort to replicate the dialect of those places and times and I feel that this is a big part of the charm of these books. I am old enough to have known many of the kinds of folks featured in these books, being only one generation past them, and have a great appreciation for what and how they did all the little things we take so for granted now. I might also suggest that you actually try some of the things mentioned in these volumes. It will give you even more of an appreciation for what they did, and hey, who knows, the skill you develope just might come in handy one of these days! Recommend this and the other Foxfire books highly.

this series covers animal care, banjos and dulcimers, wild plant foods, butter churns, ginseng and more.All of the foxfire books have a similar format: interviews with elders who practice a specific handicraft. Get them all, they are great.

The entire 12 volumn set of Foxfire books are a must read for any historian, survivalist, preper, educator, or just plain folks who want to know what life was like in the so called "Good ol' Days". Lots of useful information on how to live off the land. Appalacian life and country living as it was in the days of our parents and grand-parents. No library, public or private, should be without these wonderful books.

This series depicts the culture of the Appalachian so well. It is a reminder of the hardships that our ancestors as well as the people still of this region endured then and now.

My husband loves this series of books and I just can't believe how cheap they are here compared with other sites and bookstores.

We purchased Foxfire volumes 1-12 in a single purchase and are very pleased. If one is looking to learn skills from the "old school," then this series is a good one to purchase. Whether searching for how to build a log cabin the good, old-school way, learning how to make a natural bed of hay, stitching, or soap-making, this series will be valuable to you. The directions are good, and in many cases there are detailed photos or drawings that accompany the instructions being given. A good read. Worth the money if you are interested in learning many skills that are quickly being lost from generations past.

Foxfire books make you see how easy life is in the 21st century and how tough it was in days gone by. Foxfire books are a great read.

My husband got me started and we own the whole series. In fact we are now replacing some of the original copies due to wear and tear. They are more entertaining than a how to - but, I have many times consulted them when I need help with old fashioned situations. I also view them as an important segment of our history- and find that as with the rest of the world we are discovering that the old timers were more right in their thinking than some of the " newfangled" ideas". If you always wished you'd have asked your grandparents or great grandparents how they did somehting - these books might give you an idea!

I loved these books as a kid and now my kids are learning from them