Rediscovering natural ways of making tools, shoes, furniture, and a variety of other items using methods that follow the grain of wood or the idiosyncrasies of a piece of stone. Seymour respects what he calls "the discipline of natural materials," and he longs for a world free of "mass produced rubbish." Chapters cover an astonishing range: from clog making to spinning to canning.

Explains how to cultivate and preserve all types of fruits, herbs, and vegetables, and includes instructions on keeping poultry, rabbits, and bees.