[.ca] The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned ... (ISBN 157061377X)

From Amazon.com:
For twenty years people have relied on these hundreds of recipes, instructions, and morsels of invaluable practical advice on all aspects of growing and preparing food. This definitive classic on food, gardening, and self-sufficient living is a complete resource for living off the land with over 800 pages of collected wisdom from country maven, Carla Emery--how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, catch a pig, make soap, work with bees and more. Encyclopedia of Country Living is so basic, so thorough, so reliable, it deserves a place in every home--whether in the country, the city, or somewhere in between.

A Dissenting Opinion:
This book appears to have a devoted following so I'm sure I'll arouse some ill will with this, but here goes. There are several things potential readers need to know about this book. The first is that, as the other reviewers suggest, the author comes across as very friendly and sincere. Another is that it has been around in some form or another for a long time, long before many "hobby farm"-type books were available, and for that reason has many devoted fans, at least some of whom appear to be unaware of more modern reference books that have superceded this one in many respects. The next is that if you have a lot of free time, and you like nine hundred page books whose author is in no rush to get to any of its thousands of points, you'll love it. The most important, though, is that if you would like the best, easiest to understand advice available on raising sheep, keeping chickens, growing a garden, and all the other fun but challenging aspects of hobby farming, you will be far better served by other books out there. I have a hobby farm on seven acres with fruit trees, vegetable garden, livestock, etc., and own many of the hobby farm books available. We have had the opportunity to consult them as we have learned from direct experience, and have found that there is a wide variety in usefulness. While The Encyclopedia of Country Living contains good advice, this book has features that I believe the average modern, would-be hobby farmers will be put off by. One is its overwhelming, unnecessary, and frustrating length. It wouldn't be so bad if each paragraph was a sparkling, concise gem of practical wisdom, i.e, if it really were written like an actual encyclopedia, but core information is often clouded with anecdotes, nostalgia, sermonizing, etc. If you are the kind of person who likes reading books about country life, but who doesn't actually live in the country and doesn't plan to, this may be something you enjoy, but it made this book difficult to use for me. Moreover, the author regularly feels obliged to list the many and disparate views on a particular topic held by her friends, or by people who have written her letters over the years. A number of these printed comments are either pointless or really daft, and are liable to confuse more than enlighten the would-be hobby farmer, especially since the author often does not make clear which ideas have most merit, scientifically or from her own personal experience. I believe the average person who plans on "country living" or hobby farming will find other books far more useful. The updated and revised "Backyard Livestock", by Steven Thomas, is absolutely brilliant for beginning hobby farmers serious about keeping animals for food, eggs, milk, etc. It is concise while still telling you everything you need to know. For those wishing more detailed information on livestock, the various Storey's guides to raising farm animals are also excellent. If you are interested in fruit or berry cultivation, you will find the Stella Otto books far more valuable than this one. For vegetable gardening, "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward C. Smith is the best. I could go on, but my personal experience is this: if you would like to hobby farm, be successful at it, and have fun doing it, you'll need the best information you can get. For most of us, this means a few A-list, reliable, practical, concise, understandable reference books. Despite its length and sometimes charming autobiographical features, there's no reason why you should buy "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" when so many other books on country living now are superior to it.

A good book but...:
Die hard Emery fans will not appreciate this, I know. And honesty seems to unappreciated. Carla's book has LOTS of good information in it. It is impossible not to like the writer. It also has some sermonizing in it, and sort of a journal of her travels (selling the book, going on TV, raising her kids and her divorce). That makes it a hard reference book to follow at times. If you want some information about animal raising or bread baking then do you want read about her marriage too? Not if you're in a hurry! I found her information to be useful, I just wish some of the extra had been edited out. Also this book is poorly published. The paper is a cheap quality, hard for such a heavy book. So I give her publishing and editing 1 star, her actual content 3 or 4 stars. I loved her actual writing style.

The BEST Reference Book:
With 65 reviews already written by the time I add this one, you know people are reading and enjoying this book! I gave a copy to all my friends interested in raising ANYTHING. Carla's book is like sitting down with an old friend and listening to her time-tested advise. When I want a quick reference to something like raising chickens or tapping trees for syrup, I grab myself a cup of copy and realize that I will spend time giggling and contemplating life as I read her advise and the advise of people who write to her. The newest edition includes internet information which is quite helpful in this 21st century. Hope you enjoy the book as much as we do here in Auberry.

lives up to name:
This is a monster of a book. You will not be able to read it in one sitting. Carla does cover her material very well, but in an easy to read way that makes you want it to be shorter so you CAN read it at one time. She does put quite a bit of herself into it. You will discover she is a christian. You will find out that she had seven children. And you will also find out there are three ways to make hominy. That pigs wil distroy almost any fencing. And perhaps you might discover why this book became her life's work with its constant revisions and additions.

One of the best:
"The Encyclopedia of Country Living" is an expansive volume of collected wisdom, techniques, recipes, and other information for living in the country. To a great extent it is a volume on self-sufficiency without harming the environment in any substantial way. The only assumption that seems to be made is that the land you purchase will have a house on it or you will have one built. Everything else, from buying the land, to what plants to plant, when to plant them, where to get them, how to grow them, and how to harvest them to what animals to raise, how to raise them, how to use them for food and dairy to how to deal with child birthing in the wilderness (where you may be alone when it happens), dealing with pollution, enriching your soil, and even worm farming. This is an exhaustive study in country living with very detailed and thorough sections on farming. In addition the author includes page after page of other sources of information, where to purchase things, catalogue sources, websites, and just about every other conceivable way to get the items mentioned in the text. If there was a way to take all the old-timers in the country, get them all together, draw out all the skills they have learned over the years and distill it into a book this is the book that you would create. "The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 9th Edition" is a very highly recommended read not only for those looking to move to the country after a lifetime in the city, but also for those who, like me, have that backyard garden and could use the extensive information presented here to make it even more successful and fun.