The Harrowsmith Reader III

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

The third Harrowsmith reader provides a wealth of rock-solid practical advice for the “exurbanite” who lives or desires to live the life of independence, and requires therefore to know how to rebuild a log cabin; grow and make use of his/her own herbs and spices; raise fowl or rabbit; build bridges or root cellars; make use of alternative light styles, etc. It is also a daydreamer’s guide to getting away from it all — and for those self-same reasons. These “alternatives to bigness” sound wonderful and look beautiful. Not only can the do-it-themselves writers make it all happen, but they write about country life most beguilingly, and they illustrate their feats with a variety of photographs, diagrams, and sketches. Mere city dwellers can browse very happily, and may even pick up a few ideas adaptable to common or garden (urban) life. This big and beautiful paperback has articles under the headings Country Life, Architecture, Energy, Gardening, Rural Arts, Small Stock, and Pantry. Lavishly illustrated, including some very attractive colour photography.