: 9780908228089: Amazon.com: Books
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat intro and overview
March 12, 2010
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a great introduction and overview of permaculture concepts. The book covers a lot of material for initiates to permaculture. It's sets the foundation for further reading and studies for those who want to get serious though one could take the principles learned just from this book alone and be quite successful in my opinion.
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat intro and overview
March 12, 2010
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a great introduction and overview of permaculture concepts. The book covers a lot of material for initiates to permaculture. It's sets the foundation for further reading and studies for those who want to get serious though one could take the principles learned just from this book alone and be quite successful in my opinion.
You learn how the sun, wind and rain, all play an important role in siting structures like homes, sheds, barns, green and shade houses and also in garden and plant selection and placement.
The book also covers designing for temperate, tropical and dry-land environments.
It explains how interconnected relationships between the land, climate, soils, water, structures, flora and fauna can be fostered to the benefit of all.
There are just so many creative ideas and diagrams in this book that it is worth it for those alone.
The book is 8 1/4 X 11 inches with small print that fills the pages with valuable information. I want to live in the sub-tropics of Hawaii and enjoyed the coverage in this regard but, the book also left me day dreaming about living the permaculture lifestyle in other areas like the High Desert of New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest of Oregon.
This book touches on all the possibilities, from the home garden with a few animals to commercial orchards, forests, animal farms, aquaculture, urban gardens and more.
But don't get me wrong, it does not cover these topics in depth, it gives a thorough introduction to these topics and an understanding that one would likely not gain by reading just one book. Also each chapter ends with a list of references for further reading.
In addition there are appendices listing useful permaculture plants, such as nitrogen fixing plants. One appendix even breaks it down into useful categories, such as fruit plants and trees for temperate, topical/sub-tropical and dry areas,pest control plants and finally appendices which list hundreds of the plants mentioned in the text by common, Latin, and by species names.
The book ends with a glossary of key terms used in the book and few pages about Bill Mollison (One of the founders of permaculture) and the permaculture institute including info on their 72 hour PC Design Certificate Course.
This book is highly recommended!
Chris Nixon
1.0 out of 5 starsBig disappointment - buy almost anything else.September 17, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Big disappointment.
Reads like a technical manual with very little technical explanation. Using the word "introduction" to describe this book is inaccurate,
While Mollison is key to studying permaculture, this "introduction" is a WASTE of your money. Very little explanation or philosophy and lots of line drawings with little context. Download the PDF of the larger work on design and read the first chapter and you'll have exponentially more information introducing you to permaculture than this entire volume.
I don't know who the target audience is for this work, but they didn't do beginning permaculture explorers any favors here. Buy almost any other introduction. Wish I would have spent double and gotten the larger Mollison design book.
The edition I got was from Tagari publications 2nd edition 2013 and says Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay.
3 people found this helpful
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sulkahlee
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is exactly what the title states.October 19, 2011
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a book that leaves you wanting to know more about Permaculture. It gives general information about the subject and how it can be applied to general locations as you would expect in an introduction. It doesn't, and I didn't expect it to give, details about what I should consider doing in my particular location. It did, however, give me ideas about what might be done and clues about where to get the information I will need to do it.
3 people found this helpful
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R. Lopez
5.0 out of 5 starsRE: A classicNovember 27, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I've been studying permaculture for about a year prior to reading this book. While I have learned a lot via the Internet, it does not compare with the material presented in this book. A good understanding of the principles and applications of permaculture is essential to its successful implementation.
Chris Nixon
1.0 out of 5 starsBig disappointment - buy almost anything else.September 17, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Big disappointment.
Reads like a technical manual with very little technical explanation. Using the word "introduction" to describe this book is inaccurate,
While Mollison is key to studying permaculture, this "introduction" is a WASTE of your money. Very little explanation or philosophy and lots of line drawings with little context. Download the PDF of the larger work on design and read the first chapter and you'll have exponentially more information introducing you to permaculture than this entire volume.
I don't know who the target audience is for this work, but they didn't do beginning permaculture explorers any favors here. Buy almost any other introduction. Wish I would have spent double and gotten the larger Mollison design book.
The edition I got was from Tagari publications 2nd edition 2013 and says Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay.
3 people found this helpful
All reviewersAll starsAll formatsText, image, video
sulkahlee
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is exactly what the title states.October 19, 2011
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a book that leaves you wanting to know more about Permaculture. It gives general information about the subject and how it can be applied to general locations as you would expect in an introduction. It doesn't, and I didn't expect it to give, details about what I should consider doing in my particular location. It did, however, give me ideas about what might be done and clues about where to get the information I will need to do it.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulComment Report abuse
R. Lopez
5.0 out of 5 starsRE: A classicNovember 27, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I've been studying permaculture for about a year prior to reading this book. While I have learned a lot via the Internet, it does not compare with the material presented in this book. A good understanding of the principles and applications of permaculture is essential to its successful implementation.
