Author Topic: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living  (Read 9561 times)

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Offline Free Vulcan

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #25 on: June 18, 2016, 03:09:19 pm »
As I said in the opening post, I'm an optimist. Unless the world actually ends, the worst we'll get knocked back to is the 1890s in terms of tech.

With that in mind, I'm going to recommend, not a specific book, but an editor.

Paul Nooncree Hasluck. He edited a series of books which are basically the Encyclopedia Britannica of hands on stuff, with clear, readily understood instructions. I have most of his books in actual print, but electronic copies are freely available right here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Hasluck They are worth a download and a read.

Edit to add: Chief - all the Storey's guides are must haves! The Homesteading one and the putting food by one are particularly good.

Nice! Bookmarking and downloading.

No I think you're right, we may not go full Mad Max, but even another Great Depression like 1930's America will make it necessary to have a knowledge of old time skills to survive.
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Offline WorkingClassFilth

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #26 on: July 17, 2016, 02:09:16 am »
Since the prevailing opinion is that we are headed back at least three generations in time and it is a good idea to seek out technology fromt hat era, may I suggest that blacksmithing is an important subject of research. I currently have about a dozen books on this subject and a moderate forge besides. Even so, it takes a long time to master even the basic skills needed to transform scrap into useful tooling. The reason that this field is so important is precisely because the blacksmith was THE place to get an item made or repaired if it was made of metal. Furthermore, it was the smith that produced the tooling needed to sustain the small scale agriculture and industry that existed at that time.

I could list many books, but I will offer one individual as a go-to source. His books are still available in used markets and they are worth every penny spent to obtain them.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Weygers

Alexander Weygers was a European trained machinist and an artist that turned to the anvil to supply the tools he needed for sculpture and other avocations. His drawings are clear and exact and they litter each page of clear and exact how-to. From scrap yard to final tempering, Weygers pretty much covers it. Any backyard smith with a homemade forge and a piece of railroad rail for an anvil will be able to pretty much produce whatever tool is needed within basic trade limits.

Become a toolmaker and you will rule the post-apocalyptic world.

Offline Free Vulcan

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #27 on: July 17, 2016, 03:50:22 pm »
Some of you may have been familiar with Lindsay books, which carried alot of publications on old time skills. They are now retired, but they have passed their catalog onto the Old Time Bookstore:

http://www.youroldtimebookstore.com/

Couple of other great ones are:

Gingery Books: http://www.gingerybookstore.com/

Artisan Ideas: http://www.artisanideas.com/home.jhtm

There are quite a few out there, and of course Amazon.



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Offline WorkingClassFilth

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #28 on: July 17, 2016, 09:32:47 pm »
Here are a couple sources for free downloads of blacksmithing books and other tech stuff from the past.

http://www.hlcollege.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html

http://www.craftsmanspace.com/free-books/blacksmithing-books.html

Get 'em while you can!


Offline WorkingClassFilth

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #29 on: November 22, 2016, 11:38:58 pm »
Here's another excellent book on medical self-help when no other option is available:

https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Medicine-Handbook-Guide-When/dp/0988872536

Dr. Joe Alton and has wife, Amy (RNP + CNM) do a great job on subjects up to basic surgery.

Offline Free Vulcan

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #30 on: June 25, 2017, 05:04:59 pm »
Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening: How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days

Microgreen Garden: Indoor Grower's Guide to Gourmet Greens

A couple of great books I picked up from Amazon that instruct on producing 'soil sprouts' - sprouts that are done with soil and come out more as 'microgreens' than the traditional jar sprouts, but take about a third less time to produce, are far easier, cheap, and less loss to mold and rot.
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Offline Free Vulcan

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #31 on: July 24, 2017, 04:49:17 pm »
Bought another great book from Amazon:



The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Herbal-Dispensatory-Medicine-Making-Guide/dp/1623170796/

Tells you about how to use a slew of different herbs for medecine with tinctures, extracts, teas, ointments, etc. Nice little reference book for those that grow medicinal herbs but want info on how to use them.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 04:08:50 am by Free Vulcan »
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Offline Free Vulcan

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Re: Books for Prepping and Frugal Living
« Reply #32 on: January 03, 2018, 03:00:27 am »
Just dound 679 military manuals going  back to the 50's:

https://archive.org/details/military-manuals?&sort=-downloads&page=1
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