The Self Reliant Homestead Good Country Living By CountryBoy71 on Oct 08, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

“The Self-Reliant Homestead” by Charles A. Sanders is a great book to get someone started on thinking about living in the country. It covers quite a bit of ground in its 295 pages of material, and herein lies the problem.

It actually attempts to cover too many topics for the beginner. You know what they say ... if you spread yourself too thin, you won't get good coverage on any front. Each subject is presented in an overview, with only a few subjects getting really serious treatment. Topics include the home garden, chickens, fencing, cisterns and springs, rabbits, wood heating, etc. You get the point.

There are some great ideas presented and some very good picture illustrations so you can follow along. Those who don't know much about buying land will get some great insight as well. Overall I give Sanders a B+ on this book. It's a great source of ideas, but not a practical “how to” or field guide.