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The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide Hardcover – January 1, 2003

by John Seymour (Author), Will Sutherland (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 159 ratings
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A comprehensive, back-to-basics guide explains how to live independently in harmony with the planet, utilizing natural forms of energy, raising crops and livestock, preserving foods, gardening, carpentry, and other essential skills designed to help build a community and transform one's life. 15,000 first printing.
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  1. Print length
    312 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    DK Pub.
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    8.75 x 0.75 x 11.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0789493322
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0789493323
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Seymour, self-sufficiency guru, offers a wealth of ideas to get you started." -- Sentinel

"This book ... will appeal to those seeking simpler and environmentally responsible ways of living ..." -- Library Journal

About the Author

John Seymour is the author of over 40 books, including The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency, The Forgotten Arts and Crafts, and has made numerous movies and radio programs devoted to rural matters, self-sufficiency, and the environment.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ DK Pub.
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2003
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0789493322
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0789493323
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.75 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 159 ratings

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  1. John Seymour

    John Seymour

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    John Seymour, the acknowledged founding father of the self-sufficiency movement, was an active campaigner for the countryside, the environment, and above all a sustainable, compassionate way of living. He wrote over 40 books and broadcast widely on television and radio. His farm in Wales and later Ireland welcomed visitors seeking guidance on a more self supporting life.

    John lived back on his old Pembrokeshire farm with his daughter's family for his last years. He died on September 14, 2004 and is buried in the top field of his old farm in an orchard that he planted.

    His legacy lives on, and his books 'The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency' and 'The New Self-Sufficient Gardener' are still best sellers. His more intimate books about his family's self-sufficient life include the classic 'The Fat of the Land', now in its 50th year in print, and its sequel 'I'm a Stranger Here Myself', which is back in print at last.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Will Sutherland

    Will Sutherland

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Will Sutherland is a self-taught school bus converter who lives and works in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He documents his adventures on his Willbillys Facebook page and on Instagram. His conversions have been featured in Road and Track and Popular Mechanics.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
159 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a comprehensive guide to self-sufficiency, covering many important aspects of farm life. The illustrations receive positive feedback, with well-done diagrams and a textbook-like writing style.

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34 customers mention "Information quality"32 positive2 negative

Customers find the book extremely informative, covering many important aspects of self-sufficiency and farm life.

"...It's an excellent and functional way to farm...." Read more

"...Despite this, I found this to be a thorough guide that covered many aspects of homesteading that I myself had not thought of...." Read more

"...be as in-depth as other books out there, it gives you a great overview of a ton of things you may need to know on your homestead...." Read more

"The book the self sufficent life, by John Seymour, give a everyday look at the work and the joy of self-sufficency...." Read more

15 customers mention "Illustrations"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-done diagrams and textbook-like writing style of the book, with one customer noting its beautiful glossy pictures.

"...I'd have to say that this one was my favorite. The techniques herein are fantastic, and address everything from slaughtering hogs to making..." Read more

"The book the self sufficent life, by John Seymour, give a everyday look at the work and the joy of self-sufficency...." Read more

"...I give him high marks because he really does have a solid understanding of running such operation...." Read more

"...It has beautiful glossy pictures, and a great deal on gardening and livestock - but skips important topics entirely...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Adam
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest books you can buy on farming.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I grew up on a family farm in the "Deep South". I've read so many books on farming that I couldn't begin to list them, everything from technical manuals to the Foxfire books. I'd have to say that this one was my favorite. The techniques herein are fantastic, and address everything from slaughtering hogs to making whiskey.

    While this book (and a strong back, some tools, and a desire to better yourself) isn't all you'll need to manage a farm properly, Seymour shares some wonderful ideas, more than I few of which I hadn't read anywhere else. This book focuses on "smallholding", which is the idea of raising animals and growing crops that all support one-another, so as to decrease reliance on outside resources. It's an excellent and functional way to farm. Do be advised that a lot of his planting advice is geared more toward cooler climates, so you might want to have an additional manual for additional plants (ones not covered in-depth) if you live in a warmer part of the world.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Wayne Comet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Homesteading Reference
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This book offers all a homesteader or potential homesteader needs to know to get started. Given from a British perspective many of the techniques mentioned may not be legal or practical everywhere. Despite this, I found this to be a thorough guide that covered many aspects of homesteading that I myself had not thought of. Basket and cloth weaving, beekeeping, raising and butchering animals, fishponds for food and food preservation techniques, it's all here and more. At times it is slow reading as being of the same mind as many readers, I found myself looking more for the fantasy of what being a homesteader is like rather than the reality. This is a complete guide on how to be a farmer! I only regret that Mr. Seymour is no longer with us and that we no longer have the benefit of such wisdom.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • adventurebabbler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Such a great source of information
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I love this book! While it might not be as in-depth as other books out there, it gives you a great overview of a ton of things you may need to know on your homestead. Definitely not the end all, be all in homesteading info, but a great source of diverse info. If you need a lot of info on one subject, this book will probably disappoint you. But if you are a bona fide city person and would like to become a homesteader, this will give you a good jumping off point.
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  • Michael J. Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Self Sufficent Life
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    The book the self sufficent life, by John Seymour, give a everyday look at the work and the joy of self-sufficency. For many people self sufficency is just a dream of a quality life style. In this book you can feel the joy of this man and his family has achieved. I thoughly enjoyed it and I see myself referring to it for crop rotation and future planning of my estate.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Robert e. Lee jr.
    4.0 out of 5 stars If growing is as complicated as this, I'd rather buy from my local farmer's market!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book is both interesting and delves more deeply than most books into some of the variants than can wreak havoc on general farming. But it should have been noted before purchase, that the writer is of English descent and his farm is on that island. Their weather is considerably different than that of the Americas, as are the troubles they have with various insects, evil critters (we all agree that squirrels rank highest on our list) and beasts and most of all, never seeing the Sun and dealing with temperatures at least 10-20 degrees cooler than our own! Mr. Seymour's knowledge is tremendous and proves a bit to intellectual to make the book a fun read. It almost became tedious as a real farmer/gardener is/and should be more interested in doing the tasks than in reading someone else's opinions on the proper methodology. I give him high marks because he really does have a solid understanding of running such operation. But if it was as tedious as this read, I would recommend staying at home and watching a National Geographic version of farming, rather than bothering with your own farm! In any case, American farm-real estate has gone the stratosphere as far as property values are considered. You'd be better off with a 'back yard garden' at this point. Just wait for the next collapse-and it is coming-and buy on the down side!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jason
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great book for those looking for an overview of self-sufficient living. While the author's perspective is that of Great Britain, the concepts are the same. The crop rotation plans, the plant guides, and the animal husbandry chapters are all applicable to life in the States. It's not an in-depth guide, but it covers a great many topics and is a worthwhile purchase. Even if you never get away from it all and do it yourself the book can help you fix up your back garden into a highly productive little parcel.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • nikki
    5.0 out of 5 stars Totally great buy!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve wanted this book for years and I hesitated buying used but was hard to pass up for the price. So glad I bought it, the book is in amazing condition and very well taken care of. Bust purchase I’ve made on Amazon in a long time!
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  • S. R.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Missing some vital information
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    I am really disappointed with the content of this book. It has beautiful glossy pictures, and a great deal on gardening and livestock - but skips important topics entirely. For gardening, this is the least valuable book that I have ever purchased. I expected this book would include a section on making lotions, but lotions were not covered at all. I use white vinegar extensively for cleaning, preserving, and cooking. The book includes vinegar as a needed ingredient for canning, but it did not go into how to make vinegar - a vital product for self sufficency. I bought a 'how to make vinegar' manual for under $3 from lehman's instead.
    35 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great text for learning about many facets of self sufficiency.
    Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent resource text. Yes, it doesn't go deeply into things, but enough to give you a flavour and get started. You can't have in-depthon almost everything in one book.
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  • M. Giguère
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good investment, great book
    Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Very useful book, filled with great ideas and useful information. Very good buy.
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  • LilRoo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read
    Reviewed in Canada on November 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Fun book to read, back to the basics. I believe its one of the best books I have for self sustainable living.
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