The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It

For those wishing to find an overview of what it means to live a self-sufficient life, look no further than this text. Engagingly written and bursting with relevant information, Seymour's volume covers just about every topic with the fundamental information you need to properly evaluate your current situation and plan for the future. It is sure to be well-worn and dogeared before too long.

I was very impressed by the amount of information covered in this book. It is a very good overview of all topics pertaining to Self Sufficiency. I would recommend it to anyone considering this as a lifestyle or who is looking to make even a few changes. My only complaint is that some topics that interested me were not covered in as much detail as I would have liked but this book is still a wealth of information.

REVIEWER: First up, consider that this review comes from a suburban guy who has his eye on country living. I would imagine if you are a seasoned farmer or off-grider then this book is not for you. Veterans will likely find this book too shallow on the virtually hundreds of topics it addresses.

SKILL LEVEL: However, if you are beginner to intermediate on topics of farming, gardening, livestock and all round back-to-basics living then this book is hands-down perfect. It deals with virtually every aspect of self-sufficient living in a concise, well illustrated manner. It's flat out makes me curious to try (put into practice) and to learn more about many of the different subjects contained within.

QUALITY: A great quality book (well printed, solidly bound). The layout and typography are excellent and illustrations are an excellent companion to the text.

CONCLUSION: This book is the culmination of decades of knowledge from a man who has lived his life as depicted in this book. It must be challenging to pack a lifetime into relatively so few pages (it's still a big book though!) but the "Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" does a great job. It packs a lot of punch on a broad range of subjects and one must appreciate that because of this, it will at times feel a little skinny on specifics or in-depth information.

I'm rating this five stars because I believe that it communicates the subject matter perfectly to the audience for which it was intended.

This book is an absolute classic in self sufficiency. I don't think anyone seriously considering living "off the land" should leave this out of their library. The author not only lives what he teaches in the book but also teaches it in classes. This is a very well balanced book giving little golden nuggets that you probably never considered.

Very nice addition to any collection. Most of the ideas and uses, in this book, I agree with. It'll open up all kinds of other ideas to lead a simpler life in harmony with nature and the land we should all be a good steward of.