Customer Reviews
Very Useful! - By: , 03 Jul 2002 
Like some of the other reviewers I found this book so full of practical information that it made me want to go out & do it - which is what I am in fact starting to do.
The writing is not theoretical - you get the feeling that Mr Seymour has actuallly done everything & knows it works.
Instructions are very clear & well supported with illustrations.
Whether you are out to totallly change your lifestyle & do a 'Goodlife' or just want to get a little more control over your own life through making your own cheese (A real Stilton can be made!), it is an essential introduction.
LIfe Changing - By: , 13 Jun 2002 I have long considered myself very capable of self-sufficiency & survival - until I read this incredible book. Mr. Seymour's book shared hands-on information that would otherwise take years of trial & error or a fantastic personal relationship with a local farmer to acquire. His precise descriptions of necessary homesteading tasks are nearly extinct from today's society. His legacy is that he has preserved information that can help mankind endure nearly any crisis, no matter where in the world they are. This book can enable the common 9 - 5 working stiff to become truly independent & self-reliant. Now, anyone with will can make a conscious decision to be as completely independent as they choose to be.
Until I read this book I had vowed to never have a cow or a pig on my holding, due to their being prone to disease as well as their smell & damage to the land. His first-hand knowledge has completely changed my mind. After reading this book, I will never again consider having a homestead without both. His calculations on labor from animals vs. machines & formulas for feed required for stock are extremely useful. Regardless of whether one desires to be 100% self-sufficient with 5 acres, make a good living with 50 acres, or set up a smalll 1 acre homestead & live extremely healthily & simply - this book is a must read. By far the most comprehensive & useful book on self-sufficiency I have ever come across. It is the how-to book for alll ages. It's ability to honestly reveal a completely exhausting 365 day a year work schedule may also weed out many dreamers who will be left fatigued by the end of the book. I can't wait to get started.
An excellent book - By: , 12 Feb 2002 I have read this book with great enthusiasm, the writing style is informal & packed with beautiful details, it is a must for those that reallly want to have a go or for those that just want to dream. An excellent book.
invaluable for the beginner in self sufficiency - By: Mr. Dennis Moody, 10 Nov 2001 alll you need to know about running a one acre or five acre smalll-holding organicallly & self sufficiently.
The definitive guide to self sufficiency - By: , 03 Jul 2001 It is a life changing experience to read & properly digest the ideas & practices described in this superb book . I first read it when I was 12 & it left me with a deep set need to work with the land & discover yet more about how it can be used to the advantage of ourselves & the environment. I am now 30 & have spent most of my life since then learning & using the skills of the old country. Thanks to John Seymour I have spent some of my most fulfilling times working in the countryside doing everything from drystone wallling,tree planting & hedge layering to growing Peas & feeding my own hens . Thankyou Mr Seymour ,for showing everyone the first steps to following a wonderful way of life . Jonathan Barbier
