Holiday gift-giving guide for the literate, sustainable urbanite

I have a few books out on inter-library loan right now, any of which would make great presents for me, preferably via a used book place like Alibris, Amazon.com Marketplace, Abe Books, half.com.

- The Big Neccessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste by Rose George. Despite being a book about shit, this is actually very well-written. Sorta like Rats, the author is thoroughly obsessed and it shows.
via AIDG's blog

I am continuing to explore traditional skills, craft, and food, with an eye towards sustainability and applicability to urban settings.

Sarah said:
With the holidays approaching and the economy in crisis, I thought I'd send around an email with the things on my holiday wish list so you can help stimulate the economy by shopping!

If that fails to do the trick and the economy collapses, it's good to have a backup plan or three. Consider these as long-term investments in our continued collective existence:

- Gene Logsdon's Practical Skills: A Revival of Forgotten Crafts, Techniques, and Traditions was last published in 1985 but is available used. Despite being a how-to manual, this is actually very well-written. Logsdon 'gets' the sustainability piece, and a lot of his advice could apply to an urban setting.

Topics include:
Hoemanship
The gentle art of coggling
Grafting skills anyone can learn
How to avoid milking your cow daily

- When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self Reliance & Planetary Survival by Matthew Stein has a bit more of a survivalist bent that sounds more and more appropriate for the times. Described somewhere as similar to the Whole Earth Catalog, so it must be good.

- The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book by Carla Emery is truly encyclopedic, written by a lifelong Montanan.

There are other encyclopedic guides to "country living" that I haven't looked at yet, like Storey's Basic Country Skills.

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