The Encyclopedia of Country Living

Years ago I saw a copy of this book by Carla Emery at the local bookstore. It was probably just before Y2K.  I bought it, and despite living in the suburbs, found a lot of pertinent info in the book. She covers so many topics in an amazing amount of depth. If you want to know more, you can do other research or get another book....  (I copied the image from Amazon, so it won't open here)

Since then, both Carla and I have updated the book.  She goes first, then I buy the new one. The 40th Anniversary Edition has just been published. It's a whopping $20.45 on Amazon (a $ less from other sellers), which is less than I paid for the first copy I bought. Fortunately it is a wildly popular book, so the Amazon price has come down.  The last time I looked at it, about a month ago, it was $25 and change. It is worth every penny as a quick reference, and could be your primary reference in an extended emergency.

If you have an extra $25 (find something that will sell w/ free shipping on Amazon to equal the $25 free supersaver shipping) it's a good investment.