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DESIGNING & BUILDING A SOLAR HOUSE

by Donald Watson

The author of this dandy handbook really knows his stuff. He's been a solar project consultant to the United Nations and the U.S. Department of Housing. Don Watson is also a practicing architect who has built his own solar home and designed 60 other solar-heated or-tempered dwellings. Watson's aim with this book, he says, "is to make a complex subject both interesting and easy to understand". And that he does! Active systems, passive systems, Eco Design (how to design a building for maximum energy conservation), airflow through a house, site planning, types of heat exchange systems . . . it's all here and-the way Don presents h it's all good! As a matter of fact, the resource information in the back of the book-lists of solar houses throughout the country, accompanying photographs, sources of solar heating equipment, and solar design calculations, cost comparisons, and performance data-alone is worth the price of this manual. 281 pages. Paperback. 83003 $8.95

HAND-HEWN: THE ART OF BUILDING YOUR OWN CABIN

by William C. Leitch.

This book's main purpose is simply to help the novice fully understand (and appreciate) the concepts behind log construction, the architectural options available to the builder, andfinally-the actual process of erecting such a structure. Unlike most, however, HANDHEWN doesn't purport to be the definitive work on the subject. Instead, the author honestly advises his readers to seek additional sources of information, and-in fact-reviews a number of such volumes to make the choice just that much easier. The text covers and clarifies points that previous works either skip over entirely or explain inadequately (HANDHEWN's section on notching logs is the best we've ever seen), and discusses both the aesthetics and mechanics of land buying and use, planning, living in the mountains, and employing the right tools for the right jobs. A truly remarkable photo-illustrated book, and a "must" if you're thinking about forging .a home in the wilderness. 122 pages. Paperback. 69001 $4.95

BACKYARD LIVESTOCK: HOW TO GROW MEAT FOR YOUR FAMILY

by Steven Thomas.

This tight, concise, and well-illustrated handbook contains enough information to get anyone started raising their own poultry, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, and veal .. . right in his or her own back yard! The care of each animal discussed is thoroughly detailed and the book contains treatments of subjects related to the small-scale production of meat animals: the tanning of hides, how to give an injection, the raising of grains for livestock feed, etc. This is certainly not an exhaustive animal husbandry guide . . . but it is an extremely handy introduction to the subject for the beginner. 264 pages. Paperback. 71019$5.95

HOW TO BUILD AND FURNISH A LOG CABIN

by W. Ben Hunt.

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