Product Description

What it really takes to succeed beyond the sidewalks and power lines. Discover the tried-and-true secrets from those who have made wilderness living a success. This is the rest of the story: the information you don't see in most "homesteading" publications! The Modern Homestead Manual builds hope and confidence, dispels myths, and tells it like it is.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #435484 in Books
• Published on: 1998-12-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 217 pages

Dave Duffy, Backwoods Home Magazine
It's seldom I get excited about a book, but I'm excited about this one!

Pearl Sanborn, Frugally4U Website Review
Builds confidence, dispels myths, and tells it like it is. A great how-to resource! A book of homesteading truths!

By Dave Duffy, Publisher of Backwoods Home Magazine, Dec. 1994
It's seldom I get excited about a book, but I'm excited about this one. Skip Thomsen and his wife, Cat Freshwater, have produced what I believe to be the best homesteading manual in years. It's not pie-in-the-sky stuff, but straight talk about the difficulties, as well as the rewards of moving to the country and becoming self- reliant. Too many people who have sought to go back to the land have been bushwhacked by things many back-to-the-land books never talk about, such as how to make a living so you can stay in the country. This book talks about them and tells how to deal with them.

A run through the chapter titles...will give an idea of its scope. The book also includes a resource guide that tells where to find what you don't already have and the printed resources that are already available.

"The Modern Homestead Manual" does not just provide good information, but also gives you the philosophy you'll need to succeed in the country. Thomsen and Freshwater have lived what they write. The book is the result of 15 years of actually doing it, solving the problems as they presented themselves, and in the end, succeeding and loving it.

Skip Thomsen has been a fairly frequent contributor to "Backwoods Home Magazine"...so I've come to trust the thoroughness of his knowledge and the clarity with which he writes. "The Modern Homestead Manual" did not disappoint me.

If you want to significantly increase your chances of success when you move to the country, or if want to take a fresh look at what you are currently doing in the country, this book will be a sound investment in your future.

Customer Reviews

A great how-to resource. A book of Homesteading truths!
When I picked up The Modern Homestead Manual, and opened the front cover, I read the dedication - the forward - the introduction - chapter 1 ..........all the way to the reference section!

Unlike many books that I pick up, this book held my attention from page one! There is nothing more frustrating than reading through a "how-to" manual, and never really getting to the good stuff! There are volumes of books that tell "what" you should do, it's so refreshing to read a book that actually gives you some "how-to" information.

If you're desire is to be more self sufficient, this book is a great place to start! There are so many opinions as to the real meaning of homesteading. I love the simple meaning that Skip & Cat give:

Homesteaders  =  Homesteaders are worthy stewards of the earth.

The Modern Homestead Manual builds hope and confidence, dispels myths, and tells it like it is. Because Skip & Cat are actually living the homestead life, they are able to give us true insight on what it really takes to live beyond the power lines & sidewalks.