Touted as being the most comprehensive guide to living off the land since John Seymour’s seminal works and written by life-long smallholders Tim and Dot Tyne covering all aspects of self-sufficiency.
I have to agree that it is very comprehensive; covering Viable Self-Sufficiency, Crops and Gardens, Livestock, Baking Brewing and Preserving, Wild Harvest, Technological Self-Sufficiency, Smallholder’s Workshop, Making Ends Meet, and Community Initiatives, it brings small holding self-sufficiency into the 21st Century.
It is a great cover-all book, but as with all books covering such a wide range of topics it doesn’t really get too indepth. For many just starting out with a smallholding this is a good thing as you won’t get too swamped down with information, the more seasoned smallholder may find it useful to expand on their knowledge especially with the sections on livestock and machinery giving more information than other cover-all books in this genre.
The book is easy to drop in and out of sections with a very easy to read writing style. A great book to help you fulfil your dreams of self-suffiency.
Available both new and used from Amazon.
Amazon Reviews of Viable Self-Sufficiency:
“Wow, what a great source of information! Some of it was a little gloomy – the interest in ‘Hobby Farming’ amoungst the idiot rich having pushed land prices beyond the reach of most genuine self sufficienters. But even the chapters of no relevence to me made interesting reading – I now know more about hay making and animal fodder than I ever thought possible! So, even if self-sufficiency is only a dream, give this book a look. Well written and informative. “
“Takes over where Seymour left off – but better. Based on real life experience, this is the ultimate book for self supporters. We’ve been smallholders for fifteen years and found many good tips and information that we’ll use here. Whether you’re an old hand, starting out or still in the planning phase, you won’t regret buying this book.”
Further Books in this Section
- Making Small Farms Work by Richard Perkins
- New Complete Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour
- Pest Control for the Smallholder by David Bezzant
- Starting with a Smallholding by David Hills
- Successful Smallholding by Jeremy Hobson
- The Smallholder’s Manual by Katie Thear
- The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
- Tools and Machinery for the Smallholder by John Bezzant
- Viable Self-Sufficiency by Tim & Dot Tyne
