living off nature

[scruff]

is anyone familiar with the above titled book by judy urquhart?

i think its out of print now but its fantastic....i jus discovered it on my parents bookshelf....its not there anymore

anyway its a great book. kind of a bushcraft/'the good life' type bible. contains loads of techniques, recipes and projects. has a great little section on different woods and there properties among many many others.

i will try and absorb as much as possible from it this wknd....seen as tho i cant make it to wales (i'm not bitter about that by the way )

 

[greg2935]

You can buy it off abe books (www.abebooks.com) for US$6 + post of course

 

[BlueTrain]

I am not familiar with the book in question but it seems like everything is available on line somewhere. However, I wanted to mention a series of books published, oh, around 1970 that were all entitled Foxfire. The first one was called the Foxfire Book, the next one Foxfire 2 and so on. Evidently the series continues.

While they are not exactly living off nature topics, they are a series of back-country, mainly southern mountain homesteading and farming subjects. I was still living in West Virginia at the time and doing my best to get away from that sort of thing, so I never had any of those books. But if you want to learn about log houses, home canning, hog killing, corn shucking and so on, these might be a good place to start. I believe the idea was to preserve old down-home knowledge for future generations, for what that is worth.

Know any good books about castle building?

 

[Eric_Methven]

I have the entire Foxfire series and they are fantastic. I'll be taking them along to the next Scottish Meet.

As a matter of interest the title Foxfire refers to the Native American name for the glowing effect seen at night in rotting wood.

Eric

 

[BlueTrain]

I am told that my maternal grandfather, who died before I was born, referred to "white bread" as foxfire, because it had no substance to it. He insisted that my grandmother fix him scratch biscuits (which are more like English muffins that what the English call biscuits) for his lunch everyday.

When I was little, ordinary white bread was called "light bread."

 

[Stuart]

I have the entire Foxfire series and they are fantastic. I'll be taking them along to the next Scottish Meet.

As a matter of interest the title Foxfire refers to the Native American name for the glowing effect seen at night in rotting wood.

Eric

A slight diversion from topic for which I apoligise, but the term foxfire for the glowing effect seen at night in rotting wood stems from a Jicarilla Apache legend in which the Fox tricks the fireflies out of their fire secret. Arriving from the sky, flying on the back of a wild goose, Fox makes the first drum ever. Beating it, he teaches the fireflies how to dance. Their watchfulness relaxes as they sway to the rhythm of the drum, and they dance themselves into a trance. Fox steals their fire by putting glowing embers in his bushy tail, and with his tail burning like a torch, he brings fire to the human beings.

 

[bambodoggy]

is anyone familiar with the above titled book by judy urquhart?

i think its out of print now but its fantastic....i jus discovered it on my parents bookshelf....its not there anymore

anyway its a great book. kind of a bushcraft/'the good life' type bible. contains loads of techniques, recipes and projects. has a great little section on different woods and there properties among many many others.

i will try and absorb as much as possible from it this wknd....seen as tho i cant make it to wales (i'm not bitter about that by the way )

I've got this book, it's simply smashing.....everything you wanted to read in all the other books and then found wasn't there....stand aside Lofty, Ray, Mors and all the others....this book tells you EVERYTHING!!!!!! It is a true bible for living with/off nature and covers everything from survival to long term living.....seriously, if you haven't got it then do try and get it......you won't need to buy another book on bushcraft/survival ever again

I can't recomend it enough

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[scruff]

phew i was begining to wonder where this thread was going!

i liked the tail (ha ha!) tho stu

bam - i didnt kno there were so many ways to kill a bird

i keep tryin to persuade the old dear to let me make the dugout shelter in the lawn but shes having non of it

 

[Stuart]

right you've convinced me, I've just ordered a copy

I'll let you know what I think when it arrives

 

[Povarian]

Um, another "me too" post - looking forward to receiving it later this week.

 

[bambodoggy]

phew i was begining to wonder where this thread was going!

i liked the tail (ha ha!) tho stu

bam - i didnt kno there were so many ways to kill a bird

i keep tryin to persuade the old dear to let me make the dugout shelter in the lawn but shes having non of it

Lol...I didn't know there was so many ways to do everything!

I'm strongly debating building one of the log dug outs but a little deeper (a bit like the ones the Swede's use) up at my local woods. I know where there's a very thick (almost inpenitrable) area of birch and pine saplings that's big enough to burrow into and hide my camp totally from any paths.... If I do build it I'll take some piccy's but it's not going to happen this year!

Stuart... I'm sure you'll enjoy it, even as a seasoned bushcrafter I'm sure you'll find heaps in there you didn't know or always wanted to check. It makes an ideal shoulder bag companion to be taken out and used as a ref guide too.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[KIMBOKO]

You may think its an excellent book but look at the bibliography I feel that it was just extracted and rehashed information of previously published sources. I have several books from this time all with similar Self sufficiency and survival "stuff" I even recognise some of the pictures/illustrations taken from other books of the time. What is interesting to me is that the article she or her partner wrote in the Sunday telegraph in 1970/1971 was very instrumental in starting my interest in what is now bushcraft. She and her partner lived for several months on Exmoor with very basic foods, some naive ideas about living of the land, not enough skills and very little else.
The book describes fire by friction by the hand drill only and in theory only.
Sections on pottery, basketry and all seem to lay emphasis on the evening class learnt skills and not the in the field practice.
I glad I got a copy for the historic context but most of the skills were covered better in other books.
Slightly off thread but I also have a book called "Combat Survival" purporting to be notes from the SAS survival training which states thats its almost impossible to make fire by friction with a bow drill. As we now know thats not true, but it was obviously not a skill known then. Which leads me to the question of who first re-introduced the skills of fire by friction?.

 

[Povarian]

You may think its an excellent book but look at the bibliography I feel that it was just extracted and rehashed information of previously published sources.

That doesn't stop it being a good book - distilling such sources can be of great use in itself when the result is a concise practical guide. And it does provide the select bibliograpy so it's possible to follow up elsewhere for more detail.

What is interesting to me is that the article she or her partner wrote in the Sunday telegraph in 1970/1971 was very instrumental in starting my interest in what is now bushcraft.

That would be interesting to read - anyone know of a copy on-line anywhere? My main influences must have been Survivors (the Terry Nation TV series) and [senior moment warning] Whoever it was that the TV program ?Nationwide? dumped on a scottish island to live as a survivor for a month.

I glad I got a copy for the historic context but most of the skills were covered better in other books.

Just received my copy, so I'm not very far into it, but my observations so far:

I'll agree that it does seem to be a tad superficial in explaining the craft/skills side. e.g. "Beaks and [birds'] feet can be used as pegs and candle-holders". Nothing more on that one - perhaps my imagination is lacking here. I guess it would be difficult to explain everything in detail without the book becoming a multi-volume encyclopedia..

Skimming through the rest, it appears to have a lot of useful information, e.g. which birds are worth eating, properties of firewood, net making knots, fish traps, basic recipes etc. It's also got lots of good bushcrafty quotes which make it readable.

I'd say I'm happy with it for under £10. It's not a bushcraft bible, but it's a useful addition to my library alongside the recognition guides, the Mears/Kochanski/nessmuk type stuff. It would make a good introduction to newcomers too.

Of course, I may feel differently once I've finished reading it.

 

[bambodoggy]

Lol.... I stand by what I first said, I think it's a smashing book and although maybe not the "bible" I called it I do like that it has all the info in easy to read & follow format and I like that it has drawn from so many other books. Lets face it none of the skills we are all learning are new and will all have been in a book at some point.

It does skim over some things (beaks and claws ) but it gives you enough info to fill in the gaps yourself. I also like the recipes and tips and what I like most is that it explains historical terms and in fact the basics. In the bread making section for example it tells you how to make yeast rather than most books which just say to add yeast (coz there's always a packet laying about camp in the wild isn't there! lol)....that's the sort of thing I like it for.

Nick, I agree about the bow drill thing, I wondered why that was missing too.

Those that bought the book I'm sure you won't be disapointed. For me anyway, it's still one of the best books I've read on the subjects it's covered.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Stuart]

I have finally managed to get my hands on a copy of this book, In the end I had to fork out £20 for a copy (over 4 times the original retail price) because mysteriously every internet bookshop in the country sold all their copies immediately after Scruff posted to recommend the book.

In future if you have a book your want to recommend please tell me first before you post it to BCUK so I can secure a copy before they all disappear

I havent had a chance to read it yet as it only arrived this morning, but it seems to cover just about every subject imaginable

 

[scruff]

ha ha ha!!

and to think i got mine for 'nowt!

i hope its worth that little bit extra for you.

i've been reading the various views on the book and i'd have to say i agree with alot of them.

at times it can be a little vague and there are often gaps or assumptions made by the author, i do however feel theres a great amount of info in there....even if at times its not always from a particularly bushcrafty standpoint.

true, the author does often quotes from other sources but they're generally good sources and well researched(?)

hope everyone whos had a peak enjoys it.

i figured theres probably a bit in there for everyone which is why i suggested it.

c'thee

 

[JimH]

Whoever it was that the TV program ?Nationwide?

James Hogg - "Robinson Hogg" - sometime in the 70s

Christ I'm old! Why did no-one tell me....

Jim.

 

[Povarian]

James Hogg - "Robinson Hogg" - sometime in the 70s

Ah yes! Thanks for that. I'm pretty sure it *was* Nationwide too, cos I've got memories of Sue Lawley doing the link.

Christ I'm old! Why did no-one tell me....

You didn't fill in your birthday, and I can't bend far enough to reach your ear trumpet.

 

[KIMBOKO]

I think I've read too much over the past *** years, and my knowledge has gone past the level of this book. If I had known about it and bought it at the time I would have been over the moon. I think I've been spoilt by more recent original works. I'm glad I've got a copy and its a good book of its time.
I can only remember James Hogg complaining of being cold and wet most of the time.

SUE LAWLEY mmmmmmmmmh.

 

[bambodoggy]

mysteriously every internet bookshop in the country sold all their copies immediately after Scruff posted to recommend the book.

In future if you have a book your want to recommend please tell me first before you post it to BCUK so I can secure a copy before they all disappear

As my wife says to me "Snooze and you Loose", lol

Hope you enjoy it after forking out that much mate!

Cheers,

Bam.