The Encyclopedia Of Country Living
I know that I promised a review for Mondays but The Encyclopedia of Country Living
I’m not even sure where to begin with such a comprehensive text, I guess that it is only fair to say that if I was starting from scratch this is the book I would want to have in my hands. It has a lot of information packed into it for everybody. Whether you are a gardener, homesteader, prepper, or just curious Carla’s tome has something for you. It is written in a down home, no nonsense style and as the years went by (I’ve got the 10th edition) Carla did edits and rewrites and they are in there. It has sort of personal journal feel to it at points and this made me feel connected to Carla (after you read her book you can be on a first name basis with her too). I enjoyed the rough timeline of Carla’s life in my edition, I found myself rooting out loud for her as she wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to getting this book into print. Sadly Carla passed away 2005, I think she would’ve made a kick ass blogger and we are all missing out (edit-seems she sort of has a blog).
So if you’ve got a passing or hardcore interest in homesteading, gardening, wood cooking, canning, animal husbandry, living simply, or just want a good read I can’t recommend Carla Emery’s The Encyclopedia of Country Living enough!
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Got my copy back in 1999, still refer to it from time to time. Good read with practical advice. Glad to see it is still being read.
It is one of my favorites!
Yep, this was probably one of my first books on country living and it is still front and center in my reference books. Many years and many dog-ear’d pages have left it a bit worn, but it’s still one of my main go-to resources. Carla was the first to teach me the importance of doing something EVERY DAY to move towards self-sufficiency.
I like that it is a reference book but also a good read. I wish I could have met her.