Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills,   ISBN:9780879059118

Customer Rating: 

A good book for "reading" about primitive earth skills. If you're looking for a book that teaches, instructs, shows how to perform certain skills this may not be the book for you. Although there are some learnings here it may not be what you hope for. All in all a good book, well written with good outlines, this could be a good one for your reading pleasure.

Customer Rating: 

Product Description
8 3/16 x 10 7/8 in, 232 pp, 100 Black & white photographs, 150 line drawings.
Have you ever longed to return to a past where humanity's greatest concern was survival, when our hands created life's necessities, when the land's raw provisions were the materials with which we created warmth, shelter, food, and tools--a time before we lost our bond with the wilderness? Primitive technology helps build a bridge between the ancient past and our modern lives, putting us in touch again with nature and ourselves. This volume--a selection of articles within the bulletin of primitive technology--portrays the history, philosophy and personal journeys of authorities on primitive technology, imparting skills that built the success of mankind. From views on primitive technology and "new" archaeology to making fire and tools of bone, this book is informative and enlightening
-From the inside flap

Contents
Foreword
Section 1--Primitive technology
Section 2--Fire--where we begin
Section 3--Bone, stone & wood--basic elements
Section 4--Fibers--holding the world together
Section 5--Projectiles--power from the human hand
Section 6--Art & music--discipline and meaning

Customer Rating: 

The info and presentation of this book are good, but these wonderful folks can't hold a candle to Tom Brown, Jr. He is the best and presents the "whole" of nature and Mother Earth. If you are interested in the deeper meanings of nature try Tom Brown, Jr.

Customer Rating: 

If you are curious about what primitive technology is about this book will give you a good introduction. Lots of cool drawings and pics but don't expect step by step, hand held instructions for the multitude of topics covered in this compilation. If you don't know much about this stuff then some vocabulary may be new to you such as atlatls, celt, haft, biface, pecking and the list goes on. It was new for me but I found that my interests grew deeper and soon found myself buying books on flintknapping (did I have money for that...?) which I knew next to nothing about not too long ago. Inspirational in so many regards with some reasonable instruction from pics and words combined but I think these articles were intended for those with some background in the subject. Many short articles with great tidbits for the outdoorsman. A taste of this and a flavor of that by leading authorities whose expertise is compiled into one book. I recommend it highly not only for the curious but the outdoorsman, survivalist and tinkerer! I love that little knife in the middle foreground on the cover!

Customer Rating: 

The book is an overview of a wide range of skills and lacks details on how on how to do them.