Country Wisdom & Know-How (Paperback)

~ The Editors of Storey Publishing's Country Wisdom Boards (Author) "Birds can be attracted to your home if you offer food, water, and shelter..." (more)
Key Phrases: plant cycle, kitchen herbs, soil requirements, Country Wisdom, United States, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page.

About the Author

Storey Publishing, located in North Adams, Massachusetts, is one of the most respected and trusted publishers in the categories of country living, crafts, pets, and animals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; illustrated edition edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579123686
• ISBN-13: 978-1579123680
• Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 10.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Do-It-Yourself
  #7 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Hiking & Camping > Instructional
  #22 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, very thorough, great reference, April 30, 2005

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

If you could gather up the wisdom of the many generations of farmers, ranchers, outdoorsmen, homesteaders, and mountain-men and put it into a book you would end up with a book like this. While this is not as thorough as the multi-volume sets like the older Foxfire series, it is one of the most complete single-volume works available. The text is small in order to cram all the information into this oversized almost 500 page book but it is still readable and very interesting. The book is divided into the six major sections of animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home. Each of these major divisions is subdivided into multiple more detailed sections. For example, the animals section includes information on attracting desirable animals such as humming birds, building bird shelters, feeding birds while preventing squirrels from robbing the feeder, getting rid of problem animals, taking care of your pets, herbal treatments for dog problems, rabbit husbandry, horsemanship, raising chickens and ducks, beekeeping, and butchering. Each section is similarly detailed with the gardening section being particularly large. Country Wisdom and Know-How is an indispensable reference volume for anyone interested in country living and is highly recommended.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of Fascinating Information, April 14, 2006

By	Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is an odd book for someone to buy that lives in a major metropolitan area. However, if you are interested in how things used to be done, and/or are looking for more control over the products that affect your family this is an interesting read.

PROS:
1. Nice collection of feline information. From building a cat tree, to giving your cat pills, and teaching your cat tricks.
2. Very detailed information on gardening.
3. How to make homemade candy including salt-water taffy. Who knew?
4. Significant section on Preserving, pickling, canning and distilling.
5. Natural Home Remedies for many common ailments.

CONS:
1. The print is very, very, very small. Expect to use reading glasses.
2. I would have preferred a hardback, but that wasn't an option.

Overall, a highly recommend for those that are lacking in how to do things that our parents and grandparents took for granted.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book - Text is sooo small, December 28, 2004

By	ross732 "ross732" (Brielle, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

I got this for xmas 04. I have looked at a few subjects and the amount and depth of facts on so many subjects is very impressive. 500 pages and the book is huge. The font/type size is really small which adds to the size of the info but it is really kind of small to read. Its a good thing Im nearsighted..
I read about raising ducks. It was so much info - very interesting and complete.
Recently I bought Readers Digest Back To Basics at a library book sale. It is also really good although maybe not as in depth it is really good and the illustrations are better. I like both books.