Forgotten Household Crafts

View other editions of Forgotten Household Crafts.
View books by John Seymour.

The greatest coffee table book in the world - Rated
This is the most fascinating book I have ever read; it brings the past back to life in a way quite unlike any other. It carries enough detail to be used as a manual for those wishing to revive some of the lost arts, or to provide an insight into just how and why things were made, used and designed the way they were. This is accomplished whilst being concise and general enough to be a very interesting and provocative read.

The sheer breadth of scale is amazing for such a small book - everything is covered from boat building to thatching, from blacksmithing to dry stone walling and everything in between. If I only owned a single book, it would be this one.

The Secrets of the Past Revealed - Rated
Just dropped in from the US to check for another of John Seymour's books and was surprised to find this classic had not yet been reviewed by readers in the UK! Sadly, only occasional used copies are available here now. I do hope this will reprint.

This is a truly rare, charming and simple book capturing lost details of the lives our grandparents and ancestors lived closer to the land. Do not be misled by the title into thinking this is just about housekeeping. Much more is included than you would guess, inlcuding keeping livestock and bees, providing water, ale, beer, wine and cider making, cheese making, textiles, chimney sweeping, gas and electrical lighting, stoves, bathrooms - everything to do with home life in old times. The text is personally and charmingly written but what holds my interest for hours with this book is that the text is accompanied by many, many well done and accurate drawings and pictures of authentic old equipment! Now I can really SEE and understand how things were done, and picture exactly how my ancestors lived - and what so many of those odd looking antiques are. Just the page on irons must have twenty drawings of old irons and equipment. The many types of tools and untensils and also the ways grandmother used to feed her family ever fascinate me but I had never seen a picture of a 'wooden moliquet' used to froth the milk and eggs that made hot chocolate. I did not know there were so many shapes and types of bobbins and spangles for lace making. Under cider and ale making you will find a rare drawing of the names and sizes of barrels - who any longer recalls that a puncheon was exactly 72 gallons! Or have you ever actually seen how people cleaned their chimneys with bunches of holly twigs? Well, there is just too much more to tell you. And, most importantly this is all conveyed in an untextbook-like very simple manner!

This is definately a classic. I would recommend it for both men and women interested in the past - but especially for women; for anyone who just wants to feel closer to their own ancestors; for anyone at all who loves history; for antiques hounds you will not find a simpler resource tool; for those with an interest in self sufficiency - you will get much information; for any grandparent who wants to share with the family what they recall of their own childhood; for anyone who wants to give a child or young person an interest stimulating gift; for anyone who wishes to give the gift of a timeless resource to their public library.

Remember these things lost. My praises to John Seymour for giving us a fine record that is already gone from US bookstore shelves.