Home Library

In this age of online information gathering, it seems the local library and the home library are a thing of the past.

I encourage you to begin building your home library if you haven't already.  Hard copy books that you can read and reference if say you were out of electricity and water and needed to know how to collect water in the "wild".  Or if you find yourself in a power outage due to a storm etc. and need to know how to cook something outside using the sun.

So many variables.

I have a home library with a wide variety of non-fiction books.  Many are no longer in print. Some you can still purchase from online retailers (are brick and mortar bookstores even still a thing?). Stick around to the end of this post and I'll give you a list of some of my favorites.

Going out and purchasing an entire "library" of books would be outrageously impossible and cost prohibitive for most of us.  I suggest checking used bookstores, yard/tag/garage sales. Public libraries often have a "friends of the library" book sale to raise funds as well as liquidate books they cannot use. Put out the word to friends and relatives what you might be looking for.  Who knows, they may have it on their shelf, in their basement or attic!

Like many things...sometimes the hunt is the fun part!  Make it like a scavenger hunt. Keep a list of titles you might be hunting for in your purse or pocket. It will take time.  Enjoy the process.

What are my must have topics in my home library?

• Holy Bible
• Cookbooks
• Gardening books
• Herb books -how to grow and use in cooking as well as medicinally 
• Canning/Food Preservation books -water bath, pressure, dehydrating, fermenting
• Regional/local maps of trails/paths/camping/hiking/foraging
• Basic Sewing

There are many others.  What else can you think of that might be important to have on hand?

I'll list some titles I love below.  

Some are out of print but where I can find a link I'll add that for you.  

Foxfire - 12 vol set Foxfire set this out of print set is a treasure trove of creative self-sufficiency. 

You can find volumes at yard sells, online etc.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living - various editions available online and at used bookstores. TECL

A trusted guide for a sustainable self-sufficient lifestyle.

Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening - Rodale's Organic Gardening  authoritative guide for gardening

Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine - Herbal Medicine  key herbs with uses for remedies of common ailments

Some others that might be nice to have:

Native American Herbalist's Bible 

The Lost Herbal Medicine Bible

Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing 

Camping and Survival

Outdoor Cookery

The Complete Food Preservation Guide

There are just so many to choose from! Get out there and search and I can't wait to see what treasures you come up with for your home library.

Happy hunting,

Lynn