It's me again with another book report (too much free time, I guess) (keyboard's awful stiff, so I apologize ahead of time if this comes out funny - appears to have been through some sort of trauma, but DH isn't talking. Hhhhmmmmmmm....):

Anyway, the tome at hand is the "Natural House Catalog", appearently a follow up sourcebook (by popular demand) of a previous effort entitled the "Natural House Book", by David Pearson (which I am oblivious to). This is sort of a "Whole Earth Catalog"-type of publication, but strictly related to houses, their construction and whatnot.

Covering everything from "Spiritual Design" and alternative building materials to passive heating and cooling to non-toxic paints to low-voltage appliances, this book so impressed me that (brace yourselves for a serious shock, oh ye friends of mine) I actually paid full price for it, in a chain store, after a few moments spent leafing through it. How's that for a reccomendation!

Although this book promises to be of more help to the homesteader just starting on the planning and building stage, there is also a plethora (love that word!) of retro-fit and add-on thingies and systems that could easily tempt one to extremes.

This book focuses a lot on environmentally friendly and energy efficient type subjects, while also managing to include sustainablility of all types (power, materials, economy, etc). There are lots of fun "shopping" ideas for the new builder, and plenty of "hhhmmm, maybe I should try that" stuff for the old pro. Some of the systems and items are pricey and would only be truly feasible for the rich and/or "gridlocked", as some are dependent on extensive computer controls or similar electrical doo-dads. However, most of these examples come complete with "lower" levels of application for solar power or other sources of energy, and alternatives for the "unplugged".

In my personal (dare I say educated?) opinion, this is a book worthy of a look or two, even if you don't opt for my extreme route of aquisition.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001

Answers

That looks like a cool book, Soni! I'll have to see if I can find it at my library or through inter-library loan.

BTW, I noticed that Half.com has three copies of this book for sale. The cheapest price is $9.34 (not including shipping which is $2.25 extra).

Link to Half.com

-- Jim Morris (prism@bevcomm.net), January 11, 2001.