Your favourite 'ish flavoured book

[ajs88]

i just picked up the RHS New Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques: The Essential Practical Guide in smiths for £6 and it is very good, detailed illustrations of the symptoms of diseases and pests, how to naturally deal with them, wildlife gardening and how to take seeds and split tumblers, detailed look at growing different veg etc. i just one day of reading i've learnt about making leafmould and that i can grow gooseberries and red-currants in the currantly unoccupied shade of my garden

[rockchick]

I looked at the RHS book in smiths too but decided on the whole it was covered in another favourite the RHS through the year book (can't remeber exact title, its currently upstairs by the bed and i'm feelign lazy!) Its great because it is a monthly guide to what ornamental plants look good as well as all the jobs you should be doing in ornamental and productive garden, with the appropriate techniques as you need them.

I also love the John Seymour self sufficient gardener and I recently aquired a copy of The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins, which i am enjoying dipping into although I haven't really read it all yet.

[Seraphim]

I think it's already been mentioned but I really liked, and keep dipping back into, Precycle by P Peacock. One of the few books I have actually bought new instead of found in the library :) I enjoyed HFW's 'Meat' book - quite thought provoking as well as practical and the readers digests 'Bread' has helped me a lot!

[greenfingers]

back garden seed saving by sue stickland is realy good, as is the seed savers handbook by jeremy cherfas.

my fave book is called food from your garden, but its been out of print for about 30 years,( i inhereted mine.) its got a bit of everything in it (preserving, keeping chickens, veg growing) bieng from the 1970 it does have a pestiside related section at the back (i ignore that part). but i love it to bits

[Jessiebean]

I was just trawling this old thread and found no-one had mentioned my all time favourite -ish book (well actually- without being crawly bum-leg about it I have a new favourite in the ish bible- it is such a beautiful book visually- my old favourites are pretty plain) The Hard Times Handbook (or New Hard Times Handbook) and the Hard Times Kitchen book by Keith and Irene Smith who used to do Earth Garden Magazine. Unfortunately all are out of print and hard to find but local liabraries could be a good place to read a copy...
The Hard Times Handbook and Earth Garden (and Grass Roots Magazines) are the publications that got me all Ishy many years ago and inspired me to run away to the bush .. then the crazy ex and the ticks and the mozzies and everything else made me return to the city... I'm getting back to my Ishy ways more and more though these days!
The mend and make do attitude and inspiring stories from the depression and great recipes make a great read.