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Average Customer Rating:

A good general manual for the beginner

Customer Rating:

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour, Deirdre Headon contains many of the basics needed before one considers the notion of starting out on that journey to self-sufficiency. It is, indeed, written with a rather cycloptic view of the world, but that is, as always, the author's privilege. The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It doesn't go into as much depth, subject by subject, as does the TODAY'S HOMESTEAD series of books,Today's Homestead: Volume I, however, it does give one much to consider, and whets the appetite to know more. All in all, it makes a good addition to the homestead library.

Timely advice	Customer Rating:
What a great find at a time when our lives are having to do an about face! We may not end up with a farm per se but will use the helpful pages in this book to make ourselves less dependent on the super market at the very least. The illustrations are particularly good. I recommend it to all I meet!

A perfect source for dreaming of self-sufficiency	Customer Rating:
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.

Complete Overview

Customer Rating:

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.

Simply perfect ... for beginners to intermediates.

Customer Rating:

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.