Product guide

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, 4th Edition

Edition: Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills is a broad, illustrated reference to practical homesteading and traditional crafts. Its described projects range from raising chickens and making cheese to weaving, carpentry, and building with logs or adobe, so it suits readers exploring varied self-sufficiency skills rather than seeking a single-topic manual.

At a glance

The listing describes hundreds of projects with step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations.
Topics named in the description include gardening, animal raising, food preservation and cheese making, textile crafts, woodworking, and cabin construction.

Price

$15.37Save 45%

Reference price: ~~$27.95~~

Price checked: Nov 12, 2026

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Often bought together

Homesteading: A Backyard Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More (Back to Basics Guides)

$27.60

SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere ― The Classic Survival Handbook, Updated with Urban Survival

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Pros and cons

Pros

The wide range of subjects can serve as a starting reference for readers interested in several traditional skills.
The described visual aids and step-by-step material may help readers follow practical projects.

Technical specifications

9 specifications

Publication
Publisher	Skyhorse
Publication date	October 14, 2014
Edition	4th Edition, Fourth
Language	English
Print length	528 pages
ISBN-10	1629143693
ISBN-13	978-1629143699

Dimensions and installation
Weight listed	2.31 pounds
Dimensions	8.5 x 1.1 x 11 inches

What to know before buying

The description presents this as a broad reference, not a focused manual for any one skill. For specialized projects, buyers may need more detailed instructions beyond this book.

Who is it for?

A good fit for

Readers starting a homesteading or self-sufficiency reference shelf.
People curious about traditional food, garden, animal-raising, craft, and building skills.

Less suited to

Readers looking for an in-depth specialist manual on one specific craft or project.

Customer reviews on Amazon

4.8 / 5 · 5,502 ratings

5 stars83%83%
4 stars13%13%
3 stars4%4%
2 stars0%0%
1 star0%0%

Customer feedback describes the book as informative and useful as a broad homesteading reference, with clear instructions and helpful illustrations. For readers choosing a cross-topic guide, that reported readability and breadth may be more useful than deep coverage of one skill. The feedback also mentions potential savings compared with buying several books, though individual needs and specialist topics will vary.

Positive themes

Customers report clear instructions, extensive information, and helpful illustrations.
Feedback characterizes it as a useful reference for homesteading and traditional skills.

Frequently asked questions

What subjects does the book cover?

The description names gardening, raising chickens, making cheese and jam, dyeing wool, woodworking, weaving, and log-cabin or adobe construction, among other activities.

Is this a focused guide to one homesteading skill?

No. The listing presents it as a wide-ranging guide with hundreds of projects across different practical skills. Readers seeking detailed coverage of one subject may want a specialist book as well.

What is the listed edition and length?

The product details identify it as the fourth edition and list 528 pages.