Customer Reviews

Art and Science of Dumpster Diving

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is only a small list of books that has influenced or changed my life, books like the Bible, Dune, and the Boy Scout Hand Book. But this quirky little tome on scavenging would not be on most people's list.

But it's on mine!

This is a hilarious and informative "how-to" guide of suburban survival. The book instructs how to look through a dumpster, what to look for, where to find it, and what you can do with what you find.

The book is also filled with great ancedotes and Ace Backwards comic strips. The stories of the author's psycho brother "Slash" are worth half the cost of the book.

But more than the entertainment value is the information. And once you develop your "diver's eye," you will be surprised just how much stuff we Americans pitch wastefully every day, and that's when you come in. Take it!

I've found some great things in the trash, and this book can show you just what you're missing!

Git divin'! Thar's gold in them thar dumpsters!

This book is all about looking through others people's garbage cans, and finding something useful, valuable, or sellable. A LOT of good tips, especially the part about dealing with good-for-nothing rent a cops or other nosy jokers looking to make you feel guilty about being gainfully employed in salvage. Includes tips on how to minimize such confrontations and shakedowns.
The author of this book emphasizes that most people, rather than finding a way to recycle, just put their burdens in the Garbage can; perfectly good and useable stuff: jewelry, watches, money, coin collections, antique toys, reloading supplies, firearms, even brand new goods still in the original box- UNOPENED!
Carry some soap and water and clean up after a dumpster episode. not hard, maybe potentially lucrative to look. Just watch out for body parts...(some people never find them; I seem to find lots).

Although I was diving before finding John's book, he opened up a whole new world of diving for me. Thanks to John, I'm now saving hundreds of dollars a month in food costs. Money that can be put to better use. John, if you read this, thank you! Email me! I'd love to hear from you. You changed my life.

John Hoffman's book is not only a thorough "How-To" book on dumpster diving, but it is also chock full of side-splitting stories of his "adventures" while dumpster diving. I would highly recommend this book to anyone pursuing a simpler life, freedom from debt, or those just looking for an interesting (free) hobby. Some of the topics covered in John's book include, proper attire for dumpster diving, proper dumpster diving equipment, useful diving techniques, and where to locate the best most loot filled dumpsters in your town. After reading this book I promptly went out "dumpster diving" to test the validity of John Hoffman's assertions. I returned with "loot" that included a metal 5-shelf unit in perfect condition along with a few other odds and ends. Thanks for a great book John!

Hoffman provides lots of excellent information as well as important safety tips. I don't necessarily agree with his expressed politics or philosophy and he can be quite sarcastic, but the data is there! I dived all through high school and college, and bought the book on a lark, and now I'm wondering why I ever stopped. Dumpster Diving is the logical next step for the Yard Sale Addict!

This book lays it out all very clear for those who have never even SEEN a dumpster. I go dumpster diving so none of the information was really all that new to me, save for the info he gives on food (especially bloated & dented cans). I really enjoyed reading his childhood stories & diving experiences. I paid roughly $15 for the book after shipping costs over Amazon. I had a gift certificate so for me it wasn't that big of a deal. For people who are really tight on money, it would probably be better for you to just go out and DIVE! If you lack commonsense & any safety precautions at all, than the $15 could definitely prevent any injuries. I loved this book and was considering ordering the sequel, but the reviews I've read on it have not been very positive. Like many have said, there is a lot of things you must look past - profanity, disrespect, etc. All in all I think it's a good book.

It couldn't be more true, what Hoffman states, that "peoples head would explode" if they knew a nice looking middle class guy like himself (or me) did to salvage some of the mountains of energy thrown out every day. Go John, go, America needs to wake up to the fact that we are the "Saudi Arabia of waste". If, as is often said in America that the world should live as we do, but there wouldn't be any world left, only heaps of trash for alien anthropoligists to ponder upon.

FUN! RESOURCEFULNESS! CHAOS! EDUCATION! This one has it all! If you are looking for a down-to-earth story for giggles, or you're entertaining thoughts of what might be hiding out in those dumpsters for average joes and janes like many of us, or you (like me) are a salty, seasoned veteran of the dumpster diving scene, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!
Written in an inviting comic-like style with bold openness and humor that keeps you engaged, this text is hard to put down! Follow "Slash" and friends through adventures in dumpster diving trials and treasures as they share time-honored secrets of the trade, and tickle your funnybone while doing it. A TRUE AND COMPLETE GUIDE for ALL DIVERS (and those who want to laugh, too! :) DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and BUY IT NOW!!!

This book tells the story of how the author John Hoffman was raised in near poverty and how his parents provided for their children in part by raiding trash dumpsters in a nearby town. To this day (1993) Hoffman professes to still live by those principals of salvaging food, clothing and all sorts of other items carelessly thrown away by other people.
I think he's got a lot of hot air in what he says but so much of it rings so true that you know he's got to be right. I particularly like the tips given for conducting a search of a dumpster, how to lean in, how to watch for sharp objects, so many other things. This book really will teach you something, buy it even if you never plan to dumpster dive.

I enjoyed this book for a lot of the tips and descriptions Hoffman gave. It ceertainly gave me many ideas about where to go and what to do. Hoffman is a gifted writer and the cartoons are hilarious and pointed. If I could have given this book 2.5 stars I would have.

Unfortunately in this book, Hoffman also advocates lying, cheating, and taking advantage of others. His statements on mental illness alone are enough for me to find him personally repulsive. I'm glad I read this book but I certainly won't be buying it.