Customer Reviews

The Self-Reliant Homestead: A Book of Country Skills

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

 

 

Charles Sanders has created a good primer for self-reliant country living. His material covers everything from required tools to canning to fences to homemade gift ideas. The breadth of the text is truly amazing - in 295 pages of text Sanders covers just about every aspect of establishing a homestead.

However, such breadth in so relatively few pages practically guarantees that no one subject will get its due. Winemaking, for example, receives only 11 pages and raising various varieties of livestock is covered in just 26 pages. In other words, this is an excellent book with which to start the process of establishing a homestead, but anyone intending to actually follow through will want to move on to more comprehensive sources fairly quickly. (Sanders displays his seeming love of trivia in a five page discussion of land measurements that inexplicably includes information on a historical method of measuring invented in 1620 by an English mathematician.)

One very helpful feature is the book's appendix, which offers sections on weights and measures, methods of figuring a variety of volumes and weights, a chart of the reproductive expectations for various animals and more. These charts alone are worth the price of the book. A second appendix of recommended reading and/or websites to turn to when the material mastered within would have rendered the text even more valuable, but Sanders has inexplicably left such a resource out. To be fair, some recommendations are sprinkled throughout the text but they are not as easily found as if they were compiled all together.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about getting some land and moving to the country. It covers all the basics of farming, raising livestock to building a farm pond.

It is written in a style that is conversational and his approach is "this is what has worked for me". Many books on the subject assume that you have some starter knowledge on the subject; this one covers the very basics for people that have grown up in the city or suburbs.

I agree with the 1st reviewer...great book! What I find handy is that after most chapter, the author includes a list of resources for further reading, just in case (not likely!) you find his coverage of the topic lacking. This book is great not just for homesteaders, but for any one who lives, or aspires to live, in the country! It covers some topics not covered in most other books of this type, including attending an auction, Country games and pastimes, tractors, atvs, and firearms, in addition to the "usual" homestead topics of water, food preservation, etc.
Buy this book now if you want to live in the country!

We're currently planning our retirement homestead so this seemed like a good book. It's a good starter. but lacks the detail in most places to really act on. I highly recommend this book for those considering setting up a homestead, but you'll need more details for most of the sections. As an aside, the slaughter of rabbits section is awesome. Read it before you decide whether or not you want to raise your own meat.

This book is an absolute msut for homesteaders, weekend gardeners, hobby farmers, etc. Think of this as an up to date version of popular earlier works of this type.
Sanders' writing style is easy to read, and the book is chock full of good advice. Use just one or two of his ideas, and you'll more than pay for the price of the book!

I picked this one up at the library unsure of what book on country living I wanted to buy to add to my own home library. I do not think this book is a must have keeper. However, I think it covers enough things to give you a basic taste of things. This is written based on an individuals experience and not like an encyclopedia. There are some good ideas in here and that alone is worth reading. For instance the author describes recycling oil bottles by cutting off the tops and using them as small storage bins for fasteners. That is a very basic concept, and something one might overlook, as I never thought of doing anything like that when storage containers are available everywhere. The author also adds in some humor here and there making the book less of a dry read. If there is a topic of interest however, one must proceed on to other resources. This book is one man's journey and only offers what he knows. I would not rely on only this mans advice on topics. The section on chickens mentions the authors experience with cannibalism among the chicks and the author then fixing their beaks by cutting the tips with toenail clippers and a alum pencil to stop the bleeding. There are ways to prevent cannibalism. I have chickens, ones hand raised and ones raised by silkie hens. I never had cannibalism in my chicks or adults. Something that should be mentioned but isn't is how aggressive some roosters get when they reach maturity. The fact that some roosters can jump at humans with their spurs pointed at people's faces should be mentioned. In depends on the breed and the bird, but I would prefer to have the safe route played, and people warned when there is something that danger can lurk behind. Working with animals is unpredictable. Also, there are better ways to butcher chickens than what the author describes. The information in this book is so lacking in what I do know, I don't trust it to be accurate with anything I don't know.
This is a cute book, but not a primary one to refer to time and time again. It is more like sitting down and listening to your grandfather talk to you about his life and what he knows. He has made mistakes and he's not brilliant, but the information is well told and quaint.

This writer captures the essence of homesteading in what is actually a rather short book. You don't need another reference if you want to be a homesteader.

A very good book to help you if you're try to raise your own food and things you need for your home