The forgotten arts

A great coffee table book seeing as how it does not have much in the way of detailed information as to actually how-to. But still, it contains wonderful information for anyone interested how thing were done not sixty years ago, or for anyone interested in doing things how they were done not sixty years ago, i.e. in a self sufficient manner.

This book is simply amazing. It collects within it, the major skills used to make the items one used during every-day life in colonial america and late 19th century england. Items are described in great detail, as well as the trades and craftsmen who made them. Diagrams, photos and pictures are all clear. This book is not a how-to guide, however. You will need thorough instructions from elsewhere. What it is is an encyclopedia of sadly-forgotten trades from days when everything was made somewhere other than China. There is indeed nothing about bookbinding as one reviewer mentioned. I was rather bummed about that as well. However, I can easily forgive this, since it's not what I would consider a "survival skill". Forgotten Arts and Crafts highlights trades that contribute to the living and surviving of daily life, rather than the extras such as reading, music, etc, for the most part. Coopers, tanners, butter-making, the care and tending of an old household pre-vaccum and washing, saddle-making, carpentry, farriers and blacksmiths, spinners, weavers, carpenters, etc... were all required to merely subsist in ye old days when everyone in a town or village was generally a deeply-skilled craftsman...those days before we had cars and super-transmorgrified mega-marts. As sad as it makes me, a devopted book-lover, literacy and thus the making of books were not of that skill set. Anyway, this is a most excellent book for those interested in a project-starting book for ideas, as well as for writers, researchers, and history buffs of all kinds. Heck, *I* don't like history and I loved this one. Fascinating stuff.

I have been having a great run on historical luck lately, finding books on everyday life of bygone days. The Forgotten Arts and Crafts by John Seymour is the latest in a line of excellent social history books that I have recently acquired, and I must say, for any historian - beginner or seasoned - this book is an absolute must. Broken into two parts (Forgotten Arts and Forgotten Household Crafts), detailed information on how survival in the past was accomplished by our ancestors is given, written in a very entertaining and easy to read style using both modern and period directions. Sketches and photographs enhance the text greatly, giving the reader full understanding of the subject studied - and the subjects are too numerous to list here. But just to name a few of the occupations and survival crafts from the first half: blacksmithing, becoming a wheelwright, well digging, chair making, coopering, working a millstone, basketry, building an actual wooden house, ladder making - all shown how it was done in an era long past. The second part of the book details the essentials of home life, such as herb and spice usage, drying and smoking meat, cooking in an open hearth or on a range, making lye and soap, the heating of one's home, the many ways of lighting your home, bathing and toiletry, dyeing, spinning... and on and on and on. Put the two chapters together and you have quite an overview for living in the past! Of course, there are other books out there that will give you a "how-to" in much greater detail - this book is more of an aerial perspective, giving the reader a strong idea of life in the past. DK Publishing has never let me down yet - they seem to have the same passion for history as I do. Lucky for all of us they get the information out there for all to see. A little pricey, but, to me, well worth it.

Not only is this a great book for historical values, it is fantastic book for learning how to do these ancient arts and crafts with step by step instructions in case you ever want to try it yourself These crafts also introduce a range of lovely and bizarre words which you probably don't come across that often any more - including bodging - as in the chair bodger. Isn't that wonderful? There is potted histories of just how these craftsmen did their work. From the piles of clogs drying, to the camps the chair bodgers lived in, to the expense of making hurdles and how they were used to graze sheep. I thought this book was so useful. John Seymour clearly has an interest in this. I have his book on self-sufficiency which is also extremely useful with lots of tips and tricks for small-holding or lifestyle blocks. This takes those skills one step further. This is very much about skills and how the craftsmen worked - but also the intricacy of the system which meant that all craftsmen were dependent on the rest for the system to work well. You can easily read this book as it is well written and illustrated, but it is also a great book to browse through, each skill is in a chapter which can be read on its own. It is a useful and readable book

This book is filled to the brim with descriptions on how people have produced materials for their every need before being replaced by inferior (but cheap) mass produced items. Baskets, walls, barrels, baking, smithing, this book has them all--with the unfortunate excepting of bookbinding. Not heavy on the detail side, instead giving a broad scope of now lost skills--accompanied by photographs, excellent drawings, and anecdotes that reveal the warm personality of the author. A wonderful addition to the library of anyone who's ever thought "What happened to quality? Maybe cheaper isn't better!"