Laurel, Alicia Bay
Living On The Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition
Originally published in 1970 - and incredibly, written and illustrated by Alicia Bay Laurel as a 19-year-old - 'Living On The Earth' is the original "back to the land" bible. This classic, best-selling guide to alternative country life, entirely handwritten in the author's script and illustrated with her line drawings is a practical home reference volume that includes information on: organic gardening, outdoor cooking, crafts, herbology, midwifery, backpacking, survival, first aid, making and playing musical instruments, sewing, pattern drafting, building a kiln, a kayak, an ice chest, making candles, soap, ink, beaded curtains, ice cream, tamales, and, at the end, how to cremate. A list of magical books, and websites for finding intentional communitees and ecovillages, along with a star map and an old English poem to the moon, follow the index. Published on February 22, 2021, the Echo Point Books & Media 5th edition has thick, cream-colored sustainably-sourced paper, plant-based inks, and features an introduction by architecture, design and counterculture historian Greg Castillo, a professor at University of California at Berkeley.