Hoarding is exactly what the government is doing right now by filling the SPR, and frankly it's the best thing that could happen. It drives prices up. High prices encourage demand destruction. They also finance new well development. The hoarded oil gives us a buffer to fall back on once shortages become more prevalent. High prices are what we need in order to adapt to what's coming, and the sooner they happen, the better.
Joined: May 11, 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Rural North Florida
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIBRARY
Hello All,
Starting to make preperations to be self sufficent, if/when the time comes. Just found these boards and have found so much useful info, it is awesome!
Just starting to build a reference library, What 5 Books are MUST HAVES for survival in the worst of times?
In one post I think I found one I just have to have, would you agree?
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
-The Holy Bible, or the Quoran, depending on your location. This is needed to understand the people around you who predominantly follow a religion, and the core philosophy of their value system.
-a dictionary. If you don't understand what you are reading in the rest of the library, the books don't have a great deal of value. I also like to think it contains all the other books.
-Fannie Farmers cookbook, or any cookbook you like will suffice. As with the dictionary, its one of the best reference guides around.
-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Being able to relax and enjoy a good story is important. If you don't have that as an option, what exactly are you trying to survive for? _________________ If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:50 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
Quote:
-The Holy Bible, or the Quoran, depending on your location. This is needed to understand the people around you who predominantly follow a religion, and the core philosophy of their value system.
The Bible is a composition of many books (50+), including New Testament, so just choosing the Bible shouldn't count. So, if you're going to stick with the 5 book rule, go with the Quran.
If you're building a library based on the prospect of worst of times, then go with the books you'll need in the future. Perhaps a large, inclusive (say from algebra to differential equations or at least calc) mathematics book. Farmer's Almanac. Dictionary as recommended above. Maybe something to do with woodworking, repairs, or storage of food. _________________ Riches are not from abundance of worldly goods, but from a contented mind.
Last edited by 3aidlillahi on Sun May 11, 2008 4:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 11397 Location: Village of Idiots
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
The 5 books I have found most useful so far have been:
"Permaculture: a designers manual" by Bill Mollison
"How to Grow More Vegetables"by John Jeavons
"One Circle" by David Duhon and Cindy Gebhardt
"The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by Carla Emery
"The Green Pharmacy" by James Duke
Note: these are not my favorite books of literature! _________________ "...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy
Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2450 Location: The Entropisphere
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:18 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
Carla Emery's Encyclopedia to Country Living
Seed to Seed Susan Ashworth
Food and Life: Yearbook in Agriculture 1939 published by the US Department of Agriculture
Root Cellaring by Bubel
And there is a tie for the last spot either
the original "Stocking Up" by Stoner or "Putting Food By" by Hertzberg, Vaughan and Greene (I have the second edition... Unlike Stocking up I have never had the opportunity to compare editions. _________________ “To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.”
—Benjamin Franklin
Joined: Aug 03, 2006 Posts: 3897 Location: Graceland
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:04 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
Heineken wrote:
Hasn't this thread been done before? Or something very similar?
I've been here too long.
No no, it's cool. I love this kind of thing.
Here are today's five:
1. "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds", by Charles Mackay (just in case you didn't know how stupid people can be for very long periods of time)
2. "Walden", by Henry David Thoreau (a classic on the trouble with the modern world, and the potential within the human mind for freedom and original thought)
3. "The Road", by Cormac McCarthy (this book is like a triple donut to put on your doomer bat in the on-deck circle. No matter how bad things get, I don't think they will ever get as bad as in this book)
4. "Where There is No Doctor", by David Werner (free download here)
5. "Overshoot", by William Catton (it's an eye opener) _________________ Our window of opportunity is slowly closing...at the same time, it probably requires a spiral of adversity. In other words, things have to get worse before they can get better.
-M. King Hubbert, 1983
Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 4884 Location: Oklahoma
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
When Technology Fails
Stocking Up (I concur with wisconsin_cur that the recent version isn't as good; mine is from the 1970s sometime and great)
Encyclopedia of Country Living
"Naked into the Wilderness" Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills
Seed to Seed
Hard to only pick 5. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done." - George Carlin
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:20 am Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
Crisis Preparedness Handbook
Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival Guide
SAS Survival Handbook
The Encyclopedia of Country Living
The Self Sufficient Guide and How to Live It
This is a good resource for peak oil related books.
mark _________________ I have days - growing more frequent all the time - when I'm convinced that time is now upon that some Big Events are about to occur. - Ron Paul
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6349 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
fastpack wrote:
What 5 Books are MUST HAVES for survival in the worst of times?
But what is your situation?
What are the situations you forsee?
Do you live in town or country, have money or no?
Do you have any experience or facilities on which Country Living can expand?
I agree with others in one respect, without prior research, planning, and most importantly action, the only book to crack open for the first time in the worst times is your chosen prayer book.
Joined: Nov 15, 2007 Posts: 218 Location: US East Coast
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
I have only one (or two) suggestion
The Voyager's Handbook by Beth A. Leonard
and/or
Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook: A Compendium for Coastal and Offshore Sailors
Now these are books for long distance sailors/live aboards. My thought in suggesting these is that cruisers are people who want a first world life style but know how to budget. They budget everything.
Fuel, water, electricity, food - you name it. Cooking, first aid, its here.
When your boat is your world, you tend to be self sufficient. And you learn how to fix stuff. Both of these people are excellent. Nigel is a little more on the "how things work" while Beth is a little more "What works." _________________ When going through hell, keep going! Churchill
Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the the cheapest of pleasures, costs nothing, and conveys much. E Wiman
I know there’s no solution, so I just enjoy what’s here and I enjoy the journey G Carlin
Joined: Dec 08, 2004 Posts: 1498 Location: Nez Perce Nation
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:57 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
Ludi, your list is the most practical and useful for the low energy world that will be our future. Good for you.
My solution has been to own hundreds of books, many on your list or similar, but also general reference books plus some good literature including all of Shakespeare. _________________ "Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett
"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock
Joined: Nov 16, 2007 Posts: 254 Location: Rural Western Idaho
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject: Re: Starting a Library (late) What 5 Books MUST BE IN MY LIB
DomusAlbion wrote:
Ludi, your list is the most practical and useful for the low energy world that will be our future. Good for you.
My solution has been to own hundreds of books, many on your list or similar, but also general reference books plus some good literature including all of Shakespeare.
Ludi -
Everyone loves the Carla Emery book. Except me. I just could not stand her personality ... so I can't stand her book. I don't know ... one of those things like knowing someone in your past with a certain name -- and that person was a jerk -- so that name was always tainted for you. You know what I mean. Not rational, but real. (True confessions time, I guess.)
A couple of others you mention I know of. The others I will look into.
Domus,
I am pretty much on your page, except that I would add I think it is critically important to own a wide variety of books for future generations to read. Not just reference books (e.g."How to Grow a Carrot") and what YOU would consider "good literature" (e.g. "MacBeth".)
For me it is important to have lots of kinds of literature -- tons of it. Because what I might consider "good literature" might not be what someone else would enjoy, learn from, etc.
Personally (true confession time again, I guess), I'm not a big Shakespeare fan. I learned more from reading The Velveteen Rabbit than from anything Shakespeare ever wrote -- maybe because I enjoyed it more.
My point is, to each his own -- and therefore the more books one can have available for self and future generations, the better.
Lumpy _________________ "Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."
-- Dean Karnazes, runner and author of Ultramarathon Man
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