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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 4.7 out of 5 stars 155 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
  8. See all details
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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.; First Edition (January 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 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 4.7 out of 5 stars 155 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. John Seymour

    John Seymour

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    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

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    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
4.7 out of 5
155 global ratings
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4 Stars
Warn Book cover
This is a great book, arrived in great timing, however the book cover looks like this was a used book, when I paid for a brand new book....im disappointed by this. (I want to put my own wear to my brand new book)
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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
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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
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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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nikki
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally great buy!
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021
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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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adventurebabbler
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a great source of information
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015
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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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Grant A Balfour
5.0 out of 5 stars A Do-It-Yourselfer's Virtual Buddy.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
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Everything you should want for doing things the old fashioned way. Blacksmithing? Building a chicken coop? Pasturing a goat? Baking biscuits? Milling flour? There's enough here to get you started and point out some of the beginner's pitfalls. It might seem mostly aspirational for your average suburbanite, but then you find yourself considering a project and saying, "Wait, there's something on *that* in here." Next thing you know, you're gathering eggs from a backyard flock or boiling jam from home-grown fruit.
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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
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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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S. R.
3.0 out of 5 stars Missing some vital information
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2005
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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
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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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