Books

All About the Privy

These are some of my favorite and most useful books. I'll keep adding more, so check back often. All are highly recommended and if you buy here you'll help me make a couple of bucks!

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  The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition

  by Joseph C. Jenkins
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  Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants

  by Carol Steinfeld
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  Composting Toilet System Book: A Practical Guide to Choosing, Planning and Maintaining Composting Toilet Systems

  by David Del Porto, Carol Steinfeld
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  The All-American Outhouse: Stories, Design & Construction

  by Bob Cary
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  Privy: The Classic Outhouse Book

  by Janet & Richard Strombeck
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  The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water

  by Sim Van Der Ryn

  Tiny House Books

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    Handmade Houses: A Guide to the Woodbutcher's Art

    by Art Boericke, Barry Shapiro
     
  • 

    Tiny Houses: or How to Get Away From It All

    by Lester R. Walker
     
  • 

    Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities

    by Shay Salomon
     
  • 

    How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods: The Ultimate Guide to Building and Maintaining a Backcountry Getaway

    by J. Wayne Fears

     

     

    Rainwater Storage

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      The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems - Includes Branched Drains

      by Art Ludwig
       
    • 

      Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks

      by Art Ludwig
       
    • 

      Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged

      by Suzy Banks, Richard Heinichen
       
    • 

      Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape

      by Brad Lancaster
       
       
       
       

      Alternative Energy

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        Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

        by Bob Ramlow, Benjamin Nusz
         
      • 

        The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living

        by William H. Kemp
         
      • 

        Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Small and Micro Wind Systems

        by Paul Gipe
         
      • 

        The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling

        by Daniel D. Chiras

  Alternative Building

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    The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book

    by Ianto Evans, Michael G. Smith, Linda Smiley
     
  • 

    Art of Natural Building

    New Society Publishers
     
  • 

    Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques (Natural Building Series)

    by Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer
     
  • 

    Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book.)

    by Paul Lacinski, Michel Bergeron
     
  • 

    Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable...

    by Rob Roy
     
  • 

    The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book

    by Mike Oehler
     
  • 

    Stoneview: How to Build an Eco-Friendly Little Guesthouse

    by Rob Roy
     
  • 

    Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter

    by Lloyd Kahn
     
  • 

    Shelter

    Shelter Publications
     
  • 

    Cordwood Building: The State of the Art (Natural Building Series)

    New Society Publishers
     
  • 

    Shelters, Shacks & Shanties: And How to Build Them

    by D. C. Beard
     
     
     
     

    Cook Books

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      The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire

      by William Rubel
       
    • 

      The Complete Sourdough Cookbook

      by Don Holm
       
    • 

      Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue

      by Cheryl Alters Jamison, Bill Jamison
       
    • 

      Woodstove Cookery: At Home on the Range

      by Jane Cooper
       
    • 

      Woodstove Cookery: At Home on the Range

      by Jane Cooper
       
    • 

      How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food

      by Mark Bittman
    
    

    Self Sufficiency

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      Build Your Own Earth Oven, 3rd Edition: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect Loaves

      by Kiko Denzer, Hannah Field
       
    • 

      The Ultimate Wood-Fired Oven Book

      by Anna Carpenter
       
    • 

      Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of (Lansky, Vicki)

      by Vicki Lansky
       
    • 

      The Stonebuilder's Primer: A Step-By-Step Guide for Owner-Builders

      by Charles Long
       
    • 

      Build Your Own underground Root Cellar

      by Phyllis Hobson
       
    • 

      The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It

      by John Seymour
       
    • 

      Handy Farm Devices And How to Make Them

      by Rolfe Cobleigh
       
    • 

      SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea

      by John Lofty Wiseman
       
    • 

      Just in Case

      by Kathy Harrison
       
    • 

      Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance

      by John Storey, Martha Storey
       
    • 

      Country Wisdom & Know-How

      by The Editors of Storey Publishing's Country Wisdom Boards
       
    • 

      One Acre and Security: How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining It

      by Bradford Angier
       
    • 

      Living Well on Practically Nothing: Revised and Updated Edition

      by Edward H. Romney, Ed Romney
       
    • 

      How to Live Without Electricity & Like It

      by Anita Evangelista
       
    • 

      Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills

      by Thomas J. Elpel
       
    • 

      Living Without Electricity: People's Place Book No. 9

      by Stephen Scott, Kenneth Pellman
       
    • 

      The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed and Overworked- 21st Century Edition

      by Ernie J. Zelinski
       
    • 

      The Complete Tightwad Gazette

      by Amy Dacyczyn
       
    • 

      America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams

      by Steve Economides, Annette Economides
       
       
       
       

      Gardening

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        All New Square Foot Gardening

        by Mel Bartholomew
         
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        Cubed Foot Gardening: Growing Vegetables in Raised, Intensive Beds

        by Christopher O. Bird
         
      • 

        Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

        by Patricia Lanza
         
      • 

        Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

        by Steve Solomon
         
      • 

        The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables

        by Carol W. Costenbader
         
      • 

        Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community

        by Heather Coburn Flores