Books on alternative living

BOOKS are probably the only source of information, plus inspiration, which can be truly trusted now. Everything else, the internet and media, is owned by massive corporations whose prime motivation will always be to censor and use information in order to control how we think and behave.

Books were also what we relied on when searching for a simpler way to live. Because back in the 1970s, believe it or not, neither the internet or mobile phones existed yet.  Writing and publishing also became one of the cornerstones of what we did in those pre-digital days.  The earliest editions of those titles, covering our time in the UK, are now available for free as a downloadable pdf, on the how it all began page.  The more recent are listed below, some only as the original paper copies, the rest as downloads.  For paperback copies we ask for the cost of postage.

What follows is just a tiny selection of the many wonderful books we’ve come across over the years. I’ve included fiction and non-fiction, as Ronald Wright (the philosopher) wisely observed, since time began we have found storytelling a far easier way to understand the world around us.

For a much fuller list you can click here and download my longer version. Updated weekly. Many of the titles suggested by the amazing staff at Shetland Library, for whose existence we will always be truly grateful.

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TREAD SOFTLY BECAUSE YOU TREAD ON MY DREAMS

Maureen Rooksby

Obviously I had to start with this one, the story of our nine year journey to find EL POCITO.  Believe me, it is impossible to put down once you’ve started.

A must-have reference for anyone dreaming about or planning a similar adventure. 

Click here to download a free digital copy (in pdf format).  Or you can own a proper paper version by visiting any online Amazon store.  Either type: M L ROOKSBY in the Search bar, or for UK buyers you can can use this quick link.

The ultimate Christmas or birthday gift for anyone thinking of living outside conventional or who simply loves cats.

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the future of another timeline

Annalee Newitz

Science fiction not only can predict the future, it can also make it happen. Douglas Adams came up with the idea of a mobile phone connecting to a universal database in 1978, with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, decades before technology even considered this as a possibility. Sheri S Tepper (in Gibbon’s Decline and Fall) foretold the removal of all women’s rights by patriarchal government way back in 1996.

And now there is another classic, The Future of Another Timeline, everyone should read.

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THE UNSETTLERS

Mark Sundeen

If we are to stand any hope of avoiding the imminent extinction, not just but virtually every other species, then we have to reduce our impact on the ecosystem. Now.

Not only through choosing not to have any more children, but growing and buying our food locally, without chemicals.

THE UNSETTLERS describes how a handful of individuals, keen to get back to a way of living with Nature and without debt, sparked an ecological and social revitalisation of some of the most industrially devastated areas of the USA.

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SORROWLAND

Rivers Solomon

This is a powerful life-changing book, addressing lots of extremely important issues most people choose to ignore, set in the thriller genre. I couldn’t put it down. A must read for everyone.

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THE TERRAFORMERS

Annalee Newitz

A futuristic eco-thriller, which also reveals a lot about how our society really operates today.

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NOW SHE IS WITCH

Kirsty Logan

A thriller/ allegory set in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages. Describing perfectly our current patriarchal society.

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and

A psalm for the wild-built

a prayer for the crown-shy

Becky Chambers

If you are looking for an answer to what is life should be about (and it isn’t 42), or a successor to the amazing Sheri S Tepper, then Becky’s A MONK AND ROBOT series (read them in order) is all you need. In a word they are awesome.

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ENTANGLED LIFE – HOW FUNGI MAKE OUR WORLDS, CHANGE OUR MINDS, AND SHAPE OUR FUTURES

Merlin Sheldrake

Forget everything you’ve ever been told, this is how the world really works. 

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GAIA

James Lovelock

Every secondary school pupil should be given a copy of this.

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PLANTS FOR A FUTURE

Ken Fern

Planting an edible forest or foraging garden? Here’s the only reference you’ll ever need.

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ENGLISH PASTORAL: AN INHERITANCE

James Rebanks

Way back in the 1990’s we stopped eating supermarket veg and fruit and grew our own organically. This book, written by a farmer, describes how modern agriculture not only has made food unhealthy, but treats animals inhumanely and is the major reason why our planet is heading for meltdown.

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EDIBLE MUSHROOMS

Geoff Dann

I’ve been looking for a reliable field-guide to foraging mushrooms and this is it.

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ULTRA-PROCESSED PEOPLE

Chris van Tulleken

Way back in the 1990s I was warning people of the dangers of eating processed food. Well, the food industry has developed a lot more since then and now they are making us eat ultra-processed food. Most of which is not derived from food at all and probably the major cause of obesity and most other diseases that kill people today. Read it, this will change the way you eat and could save your life.

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NOMADLAND

Jessica Bruder

If you ever wondered what it would be like to have to live permanently in a van, it doesn’t get more honest than this.

Beware of the film adaption, all the gritty parts have been sanitised or removed.

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ISLANDS OF ABANDONMENT – Life in the Post-Human Landscape

Cal Flyn

Debunks all the current fashions like permaculture, rewilding and reforesting, and puts mass extinction into real perspective.  A wake-up call for all those who thought they were being green or alternative.

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THE WAY HOME: TALES FROM A LIFE WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY

Mark Boyle

The book I wish I had written, but didn’t have anything close to the way with words that Mark has.  If you want to feel what living simply is really about, then this is for you.  

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THE MONEYLESS MANIFESTO

Mark Boyle

Contains all the reasons why we must ditch money now.  A must-have reference.

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SHELTER

Lloyd Kahn

The book that got me started, way back in 1973.  I came across it by accident or because of the sheer size – in COMPENDIUM BOOKS, Camden Town (London). Back in the days when real bookshops and anarchy still existed.  It was so radical then and still.  If you can get hold of a copy do, to remind you what life and saving the planet is all about.  You won’t be disappointed.

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HOME WORK

Lloyd Kahn

My favourite so far in the SHELTER series (Lloyd Kahn‘s books on alternative house building).  Packed full of inspiration. I never tire of dipping into it.

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TINY HOMES

Lloyd Kahn

Up to the usual high SHELTER standard, with examples of small owner-built homes from all around the world (including the UK).

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SMALL HOMES: THE RIGHT SIZE

Lloyd Kahn

Includes four whole pages dedicated to our El Pocito home.

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BUILDING A LOW IMPACT ROUNDHOUSE

Tony Wrench

Even if you ever thought you could never build your own home, this is for you. If only to get a proper sense of perspective of what is really necessary.  I loved it and Tony’s humour is brilliant.  We all need to act more like him and his partner Faith. 

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THE MAN WHO QUIT MONEY

Mark Sundeen

When I was a teenager, ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE was the book that changed people’s lives.  THE MAN WHO QUIT MONEY is that for today’s generation.  The story of Daniel Suelo, who quit using money in 2000 (the same year we stopped working and left the UK).  Makes fools out of anyone who thinks they are living lightly.  One of the most life-changing books I have ever read. 

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A SIMPLER KIND OF LIVING: THE HANDBOOK

Phil Rooksby

For those who prefer their information in hard copy (us included) here are some of the pages from the website in 2012, ready to print and make into an A6 booklet (106 pages).  Click here to download the pdf file.

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MONKEY & SOFIA KNITTING BOOK

Maureen Rooksby

Aimed at all levels of knitters (from beginners upwards), and featuring some of the toys from our catalogue back in the days when we made beautiful crafted items for Monkey & Sofia.  Sadly, there are no physical copies of this left, but a screen version is available to download by clicking here, or I can arrange a print quality download if you get in touch.

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STEP-BY-STEP, HOW TO FEEL A LOT HAPPIER, HEALTHIER AND MORE FULFILLED

Phil Rooksby

Similar to A SIMPLER LIVING but condensed into a leaflet to give away.  Click here to download the printable pdf.

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MY KIND OF LIFE

Phil Rooksby

This describes our life in North Yorkshire, where we first learnt how to become self-sufficient.  Packed with practical information and illustrated.  Printed copies only (no download sorry), for the price of postage.

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COTTAGE ECONOMY

William Cobbett

First published in 1821, this is as apt now as a primer for self-sufficiency as it was then.

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BROTHER TO THE OX

Fred Kitchen

Absolutely incredible account of sustainable life in the early 20th Century, showing exactly how little we actually need to live well.

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BACK TO THE FOREST

Winifred Foley

A family leave London during the Second World War to live a simpler life.  Inspiring.

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A REASONABLE LIFE

Ferenc Máté

This is another book I wish I could have written.  So good I read it from cover to cover in half a day.  Ever thought life was passing you by?  Here are all the reasons you’ll ever need to start again, the simpler, healthier and more rewarding way.

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STOLEN LAND: STOLEN LIVES AND THE GREAT CON TRICK OF DEBT!

Shirley-Anne Hardy

Long-awaited sequel to BIRTHRIGHT IN LAND, BY WILLIAM OGILVIE… AND THE STATE OF SCOTLAND TODAY (1999/ Peregrine Press/ ISBN 0-9535426-0-2).  Both available through inter-library loans, and from any high-street bookshop (Peregrine Press/ ISBN 978-0-9535426-1-1).

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THE WOLFCLAW CHRONICLES

Tom Bryan

A friend sent me a copy of this. It’s a modern-day thriller, combining the mystery of when the last wolf was killed in Scotland and the continuing struggle to return land back to those who were forced off it in the clearances.  Has become one of my favourites.  You can get a copy direct from the author by emailing him at tbryan@tiscali.co.uk

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A SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE

Ronald Wright

If you live anywhere south of York (in the UK), or are a follower of Rob Hopkins and the Transition Town Movement, then you need to read this (second hand copies abound on the internet).  The definitive answer to what really awaits survivors of an economic collapse.  For anyone else (especially from Scotland), a brilliant eco-thriller. I guarantee you’ll be hooked from the start.  Should be made a set-book in UK schools.  Inspired by his non-fiction essay, which is also highly recommended:

A SHORT HISTORY OF PROGRESS

Ronald Wright

Or, if you’d rather watch the film/ documentary version, entitled: SURVIVING PROGRESS (2011), you can watch it free on YouTube (https://youtu.be/eU9Rvot38cI?si=lN8i4r3uwaaXlKbP)

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TYPEE

Herman Melville

A classic of the genre.  Written over 150 years ago yet reads like it is now.  I guarantee this will change your life.  Was the inspiration for A SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE.

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THE MOONLIGHT CHRONICLES

Dan Price

Recommended reading for anyone interested in a simpler life.  Packed full of inspiration and lovely illustrations. Available from bookshops.

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RADICAL SIMPLICITY: CREATING AN AUTHENTIC LIFE

Dan Price

Even better than above.

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COLD COMFORT

Barton Sutter

A classic.

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WHERE TO BUY BOOKS

Mainstream publishing has gone the way of everything else and now what is being offered is neither inspiring or affordable. So when we are looking for a book on a particular subject our first step is always to check with the local library and then if they haven’t got what we are looking for, their network of interlibrary loans. After that the book fridges and charity shops.  If none of those come up with anything then the only hope is second hand booksellers and eBay. Which can be a long trawl, but some of these are linked together through the Abe books portal, which although it’s owned by the dreaded Amazon at least gives some of the money to the independent booksellers.  The only reason I suggest this is because it can save you a lot time by simply filling in a request and they will email you when someone has it for sale. You can even set your own maximum price (eBay take note).

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FINALLY,

I’ve also made lists of all the films and music I’ve come across (again, constantly updated) that you might find inspiring, and you can find those on the last word page.