Markham reveals the "pretty and curious secrets" of preparing everything from simple foods to such elaborate meals as a "humble feast" - an undertaking which entails preparing "no less than two and thirty dishes, which is as much as can stand on one table." He instructs the housewife on brewing beer and caring for wine, growing flax and hemp for thread, and spinning and dyeing. As a housewife was also responsible for the health and "soundness of body" of her family, he includes advice on the prevention of everything from the plague to baldness and bad breath. No other source from this period provides the same richness of information in such a readable style. Michael Best's introduction and his abundant notes make The English Housewife readily accessible to the contemporary reader.

In 1901, Gustav Stickley began to create the first uniquely American style of furniture and home design--known as Craftsman. Stickley's principles of home design include construction that is in harmony with its landscape, open floor plans, built-in storage, and natural lighting. He was a major influence on Frank Lloyd Wright, and he remains one of the great names in American architecture. "Craftsman Homes and Bungalows" showcases his work in an affordable, attractive new edition. Featuring hundreds of black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and sketches of cabins, cottages, and bungalows from concept to finished product, it presents easy-to-understand directions on both home construction and improvement. This resource, a combination of three of Stickley's works, is a comprehensive introduction to the design and building of beautiful Craftsman homes.

"Mini Farming" describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre--and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-suf?ciency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

With the rapid depletion of our planet's natural resources, we would all like to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. But in the midst of an economic crisis, it's just as important to save money as it is to go green. As Gehring shows in this thorough but concise guide, being kind to Mother Earth can also mean being kind to your bank account It doesn't matter where your homestead is located--farm, suburb, or even city. Wherever you live, "The Homesteading Handbook" can help you:
- Plan, plant, and harvest your own organic home garden.
- Enjoy fruits and vegetables year-round by canning, drying, and freezing.
- Build alternate energy devices by hand, such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps.
- Differentiate between an edible puffball mushroom and a poisonous amanita.
- Prepare butternut squash soup using ingredients from your own garden.
- Conserve water by making a rain barrel or installing an irrigation system.
- Have fun and save cash by handcrafting items such as soap, potpourri, and paper.
Experience the satisfaction that comes with self-sufficiency, as well as the assurance that you have done your part to help keep our planet green. "The Homesteading Handbook" is your roadmap to living in harmony with the land.

A grand encyclopedia of country lore by famed Texas folklorist Jerry Mack Johnson, covering water witching, maple syruping, weather wisdom, country remedies and herbal cures, cleaning solutions, pest purges, bird migrations and animal lore, firewood essentials, adobe making and bricklaying, leather working, plant dyes, farm foods, natural teas and tonics, granola, bread making, beer brewing and winemaking, jams and jellies, canning and preserving, sausage making and meat smoking, drying foods, down-home toys, papermaking, candle crafting, homemade soaps and shampoos, Christmas wreaths and decorations, butter and cheese making, fishing and hunting secrets, and much more.

"Country Lives Remembered" contains stories of Britain's most colourful countrymen and women from the past, lovingly edited by best selling countryside author Ruth Binney. The tales are packed with amusing anecdotes, informative facts and folklore, providing a valuable and evocative insight into what life was like in the countryside over many decades. 'Bygone Days' sections source information and activities on country pursuits, demonstrating the joy and satisfaction that can still be found in country living today. Beautifully illustrated throughout with specially commissioned artwork, "Country Lives Remembered" celebrates a traditional way of life that so many people aspire to.

How to Clean Absolutely Everything is the essential reference book for every home. Whatever needs cleaning, from floors, windows and furniture to silver cutlery, delicate fabrics and jewellery - How to Clean Absolutely Everything shows you how, without the need to spend a fortune on gimmicky products. It includes advice on how to clean absolutely everything thoroughly, quickly, or the environmentally friendly way* It includes A-Z listings of fabrics, stains, domestic pests, and much more* This book is a household essential however house-proud you are!

Life in the modern household has become much more complicated than it was for previous generations. Our roles are increasingly multi-layered, our ambitions further reaching and our expectations completely unreasonable. Juggle a successful and fulfilling career with raising children/pets, servicing the car/bike, maintaining a social life, exercising, cooking a balanced diet, repairing the broken kitchen pipes and managing a regular grooming schedule? Completely doable, in theory. But how exactly? What to Do about Everything is the ultimate householders' guide to twentyfirst century living. It covers everything from changing a tyre to surviving divorce, and addresses all sorts of households, not just the traditional nuclear family. Applying cast-iron information and empathy to all aspects of domestic life, Barbara Toner has ensured that anyone with a roof over their head can dip into it and find the help they need, whether it's how to darn a sock, hire a plumber, light a fire, leave their husband or decide they're gay after all. This comprehensive book covers household relationships, time management, household administration, money, where to live, home renovations, chores, clothes care, food, home repairs, transport, childcare and rearing, grooming and healthcare, holidays, home entertainment, socialising etiquette, life changes (death, job loss, moving) and much more. Modern life is stressful. Nothing contains stress better than order; nothing relieves it better than knowing what must be done.

There's nothing quite like the wise words that only grandfathers can deliver, and their wealth of experience means that there is no problem they don't have a solution for; whether it is advice on how best to shine your shoes, how to win at cards, or just a bit of basic good sense, grandfathers never let you down. Grandfather's Wisdom is a fantastic treasure trove that contains such homespun wisdom as: tips for household and outdoor maintenance (including how to clean windows properly and how to maintain your shed), how to maintain your personal appearance from polishing your shoes to the dos and don'ts of facial hair, timeless tips for classic hobbies, from 'old-fashioned' games, like boules, and card games to fishing, hiking and drawing. Harking back to a life of traditional values and basic good sense, Grandfather's Wisdom is more relevant and useful than ever.

When the going gets rough, the rough . . . start raising their own food. In the first full-color guide of its kind, author and small farm owner Laura Childs reveals exactly what it takes to start raising your own animals, including chickens, geese, goats, sheep, pigs, and cows. Childs discusses what you can expect to harvest from your animals--from eggs to milk to meat to wool--based on her own real-life experiences. Whether you want to raise a few chickens for eggs alone, try your hand at a few goats with the aim to make your own cheese, or are looking to sustain your family and make some extra money from raising and selling beef, this is the book for you.
Childs offers general information for each breed and animal, from how to get started to what to feed and where to house the animals. This invaluable guide is the perfect first book for anyone interested in starting a backyard barnyard or a small farm--or simply dreaming about the idea.

First published in 1881, this classic volume presents dozens of practical examples of barns and outbuildings--including floor plans and building instructions--and contains two hundred and fifty-seven engravings, woodcuts, and line drawings illustrating historical and practical designs. Featured designs include cattle barns, pigpens, pigeon houses, self-feeding corncribs, self-closing doors, icehouses, springhouses, granaries, horse barns, dog houses, and much more. Halsted also provides suggestions on the placement of outbuildings and on choosing the cor-rect materials for foundations, walls, and roofs.
This new release of "Barns and Outbuildings"--a tribute to the beauty of the farm and the ingenuity of the farmer--will engage new audiences, from builders and organic gardeners to history buffs and craft lovers.

In the midst of WWII in Britain, spouses at war and stretched budgets left housewives to "make do" with what they had. "Make Do and Mend" was first published as a pamphlet in 1943, as a cheerful reminder of the techniques for household solutions provided by wartime government. Now, republished in the twenty-first century, these tips can be used to spruce up your household and wardrobe on a dime. The book includes old-fashioned remedies for everything from washing silks to repelling the "moth menace," as well as patterns and directions on how to patch holes in clothing with stylish fabric, and how to take scraps of wool to create new looks. The book also includes "grand ways to eke out dated or worn cloths" and provides ways of "re-making old garments which you have never considered." References throughout to the scarcity of materials speaks to how valuable these tips and tricks were in wartime Britain. For example, in a section devoted to the corset, readers are reminded that "now that rubber is so scarce your corset is one of your most precious possessions."
From the "too-tight blouse" to the "cure for bagginess," "Make Do and Mend" is filled with the charm and wit of the 1940s and provides the time-tested, fail-safe solutions from generations past that will be a delight to nostalgia seekers and homemakers of today.