And Other Affairs of Plain Living - Mountain Crafts and Foods

I am from the Appalachian mountains. I am collecting these books to hand down to my kids. This is definately the perfect way to preserve your roots. I HIGHLY reccomend the whole series. Don't let the old ways die!

I'm thrilled with these books. My husband is a skilled woodcarver and a master gardener. He has looked for these books everywhere. This is the only place that I have found them all in one place. Also, they are in excellent or new condition.

Great read and wonderful colorful stories about simple mountain folk written in the format they actually speak. Full of old folk wisdom and actually explains how to execute some interesting things.
Very interesting, easy to read and not a boring moment from cover to cover. A good book also for those who like to read and relax but don't have the time to sit down and follow a detailed story line because it's filled with stories of many different lengths.
You can put it down and pick it up a month later and not be lost.
Ummm, also great for the oval office :)

I first read the Foxfire books about 25-30 years ago, picked this one up again and found that I enjoyed it even more as an adult. Reading about the skills that were a daily part of life, things that are lost in today's hectic modern day lifestyle in the city. It may not have seemed simpler to the folks that lived it, but sure seems like a simpler life to me.

I can't say enough good stuff about this book. It's just a great example of young people taking on the task (responsibility) of keeping knowledge alive. It's got humor and lots of knowledge. I find myself thinking about stuff from this book on a regular basis. Maybe that's because I watch these survivor shows that are prolific now and always find myself thinking how these old timers took care of business with very little more in their favor than most these people. Hint they made their own tools. How to build cabins, stone fire places, make soap, baskets, chairs, stills, and how to make simple tools. Just a fun book.

I chose a 4 star rating because the books are in great condition, they came in a timely manner and I was surprised at the size of the book. I was thinking this was a smaller, manual and not a thick book! I was skimming through and it seemed to have great information. I am gifting this, that is why I have not read it, as of yet. If I read it I would have probably rated this as a 5 star item. :) The book covers many different topics, there are images and first hand accounts that were documented throughout the book. The images are in black-and-white.

I chose a 4 star rating because the books are in great condition, they came in a timely manner and I was surprised at the size of the book. I was thinking this was a smaller, manual and not a thick book! I was skimming through and it seemed to have great information. I am gifting this, that is why I have not read it, as of yet. If I read it I would have probably rated this as a 5 star item. :) The book covers many different topics, there are images and first hand accounts that were documented throughout the book. The images are in black-and-white.

Love this book. If you want to have a reference for long lost crafts, then this is it. I grew up with most of the things mentioned in the book. We killed hogs, made soap, etc. some of the lore was familiar. Love the part about planting by the signs, which my father still follows. The dialect might be hard for people who aren't use to the Appalachian or Mountain speak. It is thick and it took me a couple of times reading the same sentence over to grasp what was being said and I'm use to it. We are slowly loosing this knowledge and we need to continue to preserve it and this book will help.

This book is really good if u want to find ways to live on a cheaper budget & have a healthier diet. Even though, it is from a person who lived off the land, we can learn so much from these days. With a little of our own age of knowledge & understanding we can make the daily life we live more worth the effort it takes each day.

This book is the coolest thing since, um moonshine! LOl. seriously, i found it to be very informative on the life styles of a different era and culture. There are things in here i will use in many years to come. the simplier and easier way of the backwoods people.

This was a good buy for a hard-to-find item, and it shipped quickly. The dust jacket was in a little rougher condition than expected, but all in all, it was a fine deal. Would recommend to others. Thank you.

The Foxfire book #1 contains an extensive amount of information for the out doors types. If you want to learn about the culture years gone by, how they made things work, or how they built cabins and prepared food, this is a must read.

This book is a true treasure! The Foxfire Book is full of the information and lore collected by the students of Rabun County, Georgia. They made a project of preserving the old ways of their parents and grandparents, who have lived in those mountains for generations. If you ever had a curiosity, or wondered about what it may have been like to live the way the pioneers lived or the settlers of old, this book tells it all. It even tells you how build your own cabin, with a fireplace, how to plant by the signs, meaning by the position of the stars in the night skies, how to make moonshine, and how to use use herbs provided in nature for healing. I cannot go into all the details of this book without basically reciting the text of the book, so instead I will just say that you need to buy it and read it - the pictures and photos make it come to life. This is the original survival manual!

This is an outstanding book, it contains many of the methods used for all types of very useful home & survival crafts. These are old art forms, that were used frequently by our ancestors which without this kind of documentation would otherwise be lost to time. I highly recommend this book.

This series is so much more than a “how to” guide for people interested in homesteading or living off-grid. There are, of course the very interesting and useful step-by-step instructions—log cabin building, chair and basket making, and chimney building are all featured in the first volume, complete with diagrams and pictures. There is useful lore that has been collected, such as the use for different types of wood and different recipes. These are, to someone looking to add to their homesteading skills, practical guides.
But there are another set of “affairs of plain living” included in the book. Some of them are downright impractical. For instance, many of the home remedies include the direct application of turpentine, kerosene or a mix of the two on to the body. And please don’t follow the snakebite remedies. These sorts of things are included because the Foxfire books are much more about rejoicing in a culture that was much maligned in the first half of the 20th century as a poverty-stricken backwater. This book can appeal to a wider audience outside of the off-grid community because of these other aspects of Appalachian life that are included. Descriptions in firsthand accounts of planting by the signs and faith healing give depth and life to the people interviewed. It can be difficult to read some of the interviews that are not “translated”; it takes a little time to get used to the accents, but I think that the choice of the editors to leave it in dialect makes the books better. The Foxfire books are unconsciously part of a movement to rediscover and celebrate the positives of the Appalachian region old way of life , and in this goal they are successful.

I grew up in many places, from suburb to countryside, though generations of my family worked on the farm, in fields, and the woods of northwestern Pennsylvania. The practical guides in all of the Foxfire books have helped me stay in touch with my roots. I prefer to know how to do things, even if I might never have to actually do them. I may never have to build a log cabin or dress a freshly killed hog, but it's good to know the right ways, the traditional ways, to do a thing right.

The Foxfire books started in the late 1960s in rural Appalachia as a school project to preserve local knowledge and folklore. They became much more as the research continued and knowledge was gathered. Even today, these books are a combination of history, both stories and reference, recipes, how-to, and source of folktales. There is an eye-opening range of useful and practical knowledge in these books.

As Hillard Green says, "Everyone ought t'learn how to do such as this. One a'these days, times might get back hard again, and then what will they do? Nobody not knowin' how t'do nothin'. Might have t'live off th'land again, one day. We never had nothin' fer th'winter only what we put up. What we put up was what we had. Goin't'be a lot of hungry people someday."

I've re-read this copy, as have others in my family, and now this old book has fallen into four pieces, but remains one of my favorite escapes from the modern era. I recommend it to anyone who has a practical turn of mind. Also, the stories about moonshining and hunting are some of the best reading.

it is a great book. i want it .however this copy i ordered got lost in shipping ----- then recently i ordered two more copies, that did come, and gave one to a friend....if you read this as a young man, you will still be young enough to enjoy building your own log home.

The Foxfire series is the creation of English teacher Elliott Wigginton (Wig) who made it a point to have students participating in his program interview older folks to find out how they did things in everyday life. And even though this is the work of high school students, the writing is clear, concise, informative, and very readable. Good writing is good writing.

Each volume is like a time capsule, capturing the wisdom and know-how from individuals born around the turn of the 20th century. And while the focus is based around the inhabitants in and around Rabun County, Georgia, this information shows life as it was in America circa the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

After reading several of these volumes, I think what appealed to me most of all was the fact that these older folks in the 80s and 90s weren't viewed as forgotten relics of a bygone era. They were treated with respect and dignity, and their memories treated as the treasures that they indeed are. It's a shame nowadays that we don't have more publications like Foxfire that highlight the knowledge gained from our older population. So many folks in their 70s, 80s, and 90s sit alone at home, or nursing homes forgotten and alone. They are untapped resources of great stories and wisdom. Fortunately for us, the people at Foxfire realized the value of these individuals and preserved some of those stories for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

If you have an interest in 19th century knowlege and an appreciation or an interest in how things used to be, you cannot do without this series.

The Foxfire books are a wonderful thing and we are so lucky to have them. Many of the ways, crafts, planting lore, animal lore, and as the book says "affairs of plain living" are preserved here. This particular volume includes different wood and it's uses, Mountain Recipes, Slaughtering Hogs, weather signs faith healing and so very, very much more. this is a wonderful recording of life the way it was and probably never will be again. The book is quite well written and has faithfully recorded even the dialect of these wonderful people, from which so many of us sprung. That is a big part of the charm of these works. This book includes actual interviews with folks from that region of the country which I am sure are long dead now. Their knowledge would be completely lost without works such as this. Another generation or two and it will all be completely gone. Thank goodness we have recordings such as this. Recommend this one highly.

I grew up in many places, from suburb to countryside, though generations of my family worked on the farm, in fields, and the woods of northwestern Pennsylvania. The practical guides in all of the Foxfire books have helped me stay in touch with my roots. I prefer to know how to do things, even if I might never have to actually do them. I may never have to build a log cabin or dress a freshly killed hog, but it's good to know the right ways, the traditional ways, to do a thing right.

The Foxfire books started in the late 1960s in rural Appalachia as a school project to preserve local knowledge and folklore. They became much more as the research continued and knowledge was gathered. Even today, these books are a combination of history, both stories and reference, recipes, how-to, and source of folktales. There is an eye-opening range of useful and practical knowledge in these books.

As Hillard Green says, "Everyone ought t'learn how to do such as this. One a'these days, times might get back hard again, and then what will they do? Nobody not knowin' how t'do nothin'. Might have t'live off th'land again, one day. We never had nothin' fer th'winter only what we put up. What we put up was what we had. Goin't'be a lot of hungry people someday."

I've re-read this copy, as have others in my family, and now this old book has fallen into four pieces, but remains one of my favorite escapes from the modern era. I recommend it to anyone who has a practical turn of mind. Also, the stories about moonshining and hunting are some of the best reading.

This book is a true treasure! The Foxfire Book is full of the information and lore collected by the students of Rabun County, Georgia. They made a project of preserving the old ways of their parents and grandparents, who have lived in those mountains for generations. If you ever had a curiosity, or wondered about what it may have been like to live the way the pioneers lived or the settlers of old, this book tells it all. It even tells you how build your own cabin, with a fireplace, how to plant by the signs, meaning by the position of the stars in the night skies, how to make moonshine, and how to use use herbs provided in nature for healing. I cannot go into all the details of this book without basically reciting the text of the book, so instead I will just say that you need to buy it and read it - the pictures and photos make it come to life. This is the original survival manual!

it is a great book. i want it .however this copy i ordered got lost in shipping ----- then recently i ordered two more copies, that did come, and gave one to a friend....if you read this as a young man, you will still be young enough to enjoy building your own log home.

The Foxfire series is the creation of English teacher Elliott Wigginton (Wig) who made it a point to have students participating in his program interview older folks to find out how they did things in everyday life. And even though this is the work of high school students, the writing is clear, concise, informative, and very readable. Good writing is good writing.

Each volume is like a time capsule, capturing the wisdom and know-how from individuals born around the turn of the 20th century. And while the focus is based around the inhabitants in and around Rabun County, Georgia, this information shows life as it was in America circa the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

After reading several of these volumes, I think what appealed to me most of all was the fact that these older folks in the 80s and 90s weren't viewed as forgotten relics of a bygone era. They were treated with respect and dignity, and their memories treated as the treasures that they indeed are. It's a shame nowadays that we don't have more publications like Foxfire that highlight the knowledge gained from our older population. So many folks in their 70s, 80s, and 90s sit alone at home, or nursing homes forgotten and alone. They are untapped resources of great stories and wisdom. Fortunately for us, the people at Foxfire realized the value of these individuals and preserved some of those stories for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

If you have an interest in 19th century knowlege and an appreciation or an interest in how things used to be, you cannot do without this series.

The Foxfire books are a wonderful thing and we are so lucky to have them. Many of the ways, crafts, planting lore, animal lore, and as the book says "affairs of plain living" are preserved here. This particular volume includes different wood and it's uses, Mountain Recipes, Slaughtering Hogs, weather signs faith healing and so very, very much more. this is a wonderful recording of life the way it was and probably never will be again. The book is quite well written and has faithfully recorded even the dialect of these wonderful people, from which so many of us sprung. That is a big part of the charm of these works. This book includes actual interviews with folks from that region of the country which I am sure are long dead now. Their knowledge would be completely lost without works such as this. Another generation or two and it will all be completely gone. Thank goodness we have recordings such as this. Recommend this one highly.

Eliot Wigginton made his students immortal when he sent them into the southern mountains to interview and record the skills and crafts of the region.
This is the first one of a fantastic series that serves as a standard reference for mountain culture. If you are a writer that has any intention of either historical--frontier descriptions or including characters from the region this entire series should be on your shelf or in the local library. Reading them will give flavor to your work.
As a reader you can check to see if the hog killing scene from COLD MOUNTAIN is authentic. This is just one example, there are thousands of others.
Writing as a Small BusinessUnder the Liberty OakSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

Woods lore books can't come with any higher pedigree than the Foxfire books, which began when a classroom of schoolchildren were encouraged to collect tales and practical lessons from the elders in their Appalachian mountain community.

This, then, is truly the product of a community of people, sharing a way of life that evolved over hundreds of years of living a simple, rustic life with limited means. Learning how to make a hamper from split oak, or skinning and cooking a squirrel may not be lessons that the average citizen needs in this modern time of plenty, but you may be inspired to try some of these projects yourself; everyone will be moved and entertained by this living bit of history.

I only wish that every nonfiction book were this simple, this original, this readable, and this brilliant.

Thank goodness this project happened in time to immortalize many of the contributors.

Thankfully, the old ways of Appalachian country living are preserved in these interesting and relevant instructional books. If you've ever been interested in how rural Americans survived before the days of Wal-Mart and Shoprite, you only have to look to the Foxfire books.

These books are very useful and informative. They come with plenty of diagrams and photos to teach you how to live off the land. Before the advent of trailer homes and double-wides, rural Americans had to build log homes. Before satellite TV and Playstations we had banjos and ghost stories. And before welfare, people were self-sufficient and could live off the land.

Not only can these books teach you about country living, they are handy for any writers or researchers who want details on Appalachian mountain life. There are lots of monologues and stories told by old-timers here. In many cases the living language of these folks is preserved quite well, and by reading their stories you almost feel like you're with them.

-- JJ Timmins

If you've never heard of the Foxfire series, then you are in for a treat. By all means, you have an interest in the lore of the Smokey Mountains, Appallachian culture, or if you just want to learn the "way it was", then start reading these books.
Subjects ranging from folk medicine, ghost stories, cooking, woodslore and much more. If you are involved in "living history" or you work for a recreated farm/museum, these books are a gold mine of information. The text can be a bit difficult to follow, but this is because it is written the way these people still speak. If anything, it adds to the authenticity and charm of the series. Even if you never attempt to build a log cabin, or make "leather britches beans" you're sure to find a "heapin' helpin' of good reading.

Don't get me wrong the entire series is amazing. Book one is the best and one of the more practical. The chapter on log cabin building was my inspiration to build my own cabin. At least 75% of the cabin was directions from this very book. Reading a Foxfire (any of them) does something to you that's hard to explain. I think of Foxfire books as almost a self-help guide that teaches you how to slow down for a minute. I recommend this book for anybody with high blood pressure or some kind of anxiety problem. It's therapeutic. These students met some really neat people of Appalachia. We can't let this way of life fade away as it almost has in my hometown, Knoxville.

I bought this book for my dad as a gift for Father's Day, and it instantly became one of his favorites. (He knew of the series and had read some of them when he was younger, but I didn't know that when I bought it.) The sheer amount of information present in this book, combined with the fact it's very often presented through dialogue with legitimate vernacular of the times, made it a worthwhile read even for me. (Though I tended to skip over the parts about hog dressing.)

Overall an amazing series, and one I'm looking to pick up piece-by-piece until I can get every one for my dad.

In 1980 I was a freshman in college with a part time job that paid $3.50 an hour. My car at the time was a 1973 Plymouth station wagon that got 12 mpg on a good day. Downhill. With a tail wind. Because fuel costs were eating up a good part of my check, I began to explore the possibilities of fueling the car with alternative fuels, mainly moonshine. The Foxfire books were one of the sources that I turned to in an effort to learn about the process. Needless to say, I never got around to building my still, but my interest in the tradition of oral history was fired in a big way. I picked up the rest of the set over the next few years and was fascinated by them all. The Foxfire books are the ultimate "how it used to be" source. Highly recommended.

I am reading through the Foxfire books. As I go along, each book gets better. If you are looking for a college that teaches the Appalachian folk lore, culture, and mountain music, you need to attend Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina. A Master degree is available in Appalachian Studies. I plan to attend there next year and get my Master's in App. studies.

Those days were tough, but people stuck together and worked with the resources that they had. The land, mountains and wild game was their resources. All school age children need to be introduced to early American history and heritage of the mountain people.

I've inherited the first seven, origional print books from my dad, and bought 8 and 9 for myself just a year ago, and I must say that I've always enjoyed reading these books. The people who contributed their knowledge & wisdom to these books are a resource that has largely been lost to us, and it's a shame that more of us don't realize the wisdom that is missing in this world with the deaths of these oldtimers (as the books were written in the 70's primarily).

I rate this book right up there with Carla Emery's books, as a great resource for folks trying to get back to a more self-sufficient way of life and providing for themselves, their families, and even friends & neighbours. These books definitely give a sense of old-fashioned camaraderie and willingness to help your neighbour in time of need (and in times of plenty).

This is just a great book! I guarantee if you read the Intro, and one or two articles, you will keep reading more. It is so interesting to learn about the ways our relatives used to live... Something that many of us will never hear from those who have passed on. Give it a read, you won't regret it. :-) makes you want to go back to a more primitive lifestyle, or perhaps have a better appreciation for the modern amenities that are so familiar to us now.

Because I have hundreds of books, and thought I might put someof them up for auction......I looked through the library and tried toweed out some I could get along without. We were living in Montana with two kids, no money and looking to improve our lives. Because of where we were living, we couldn't raise a hog, didn't have snakes, but we did hunt. And we did have a garden and were able to plant by the signs. And this book was a God send in a lot of areas. Guess I'll hold onto it. You never know when all the wonderful tips will come in handy again! PS: If moonshine is in your domain.......the guidance in this book is great! END

For generations people of the Appalachia have been practicing sustainable lifestyles. This entire collection of Foxfire books gives details on how to live with the land and provide without modern day utilities and technology. These books are essential for teaching sustainable living, environmental conscienceness, and learning how to live without anything but your two hands.
Teach your children well....

For anyone interested in the early times in the Smokey and Appalachian mts. these are the books. Should be required reading for all students to get a feel for where we come from,and how our forefathers survived.

great edition . lot of info it it about a wide verity of stuff , a lot of money saving tips on stuff we use every day that years ago they could not afford so they made it . we really can survive without all these luxurys we had today , a great guide to preppers and survivalist.

Fascinating true-life, real-time history of the culture of the people who grew up in the Appalachian mountains, living off the land. I bought the first book of the series, but I hope to eventually acquire them all. I love the actual transcripts of interviews with the people, using the unique dialect of the area.

I am so pleased this book was published. Some of my relatives and their friends are in it and it brings back such wonderful childhood memories of those times in Dillard and the Smokie Mountains. This book is such a fantastic account of those times and a true treasure

If you are interested in learning how our forefathers lived without the modern day conveniences that we enjoy today, this book is a must read. You will learn how they survived without much income and you could learn something beneficial that you never knew.

This Foxfire book is filled with excellent information about being self-sufficient. It contains advice on hog dressing, log cabin building, mountain crafts and foods, snake lore, hunting tales, moonshining, and other affairs of plain living.

Since I ordered this book, we have really enjoyed reading all the information about dressing a hog even to the folk remedies. If this is of interest to you, then you will want this book. Although, we have butchered hogs in the past, this book has plenty of information for a beginner.

This is a book invaluable information and stories from America past. Part folklore part instruction, this book is one of many in the series that enlightens us about the basics of subsistence we might all do well to know.
All the Foxfire books should be used as texts in a school setting.

I heard about this book and thought, "OH I'm from the South and this book will be lovely to read to find out about how things used to be." And I would probably have been right if I could have made out what they were talking about. The slang is much too thick for me. I'm not sure anyone could understand it except people who actually are from this region. Thumbs down for no translation.