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Permaculture:
A Designers Manual by Bill Mollison
This book was once described in the whole earth catalog as follows
"...if information had density this book would be a black
hole...obviously THE book of Permaculture written by the master.
Excellent illustrations and color photos. An especially smart
chapter on patterns in nature and a most ingenious periodic table
of elements. (this is the same book once published as "A
Practical Guide For A Sustainable Future") This is the newest
edition, published in 1997.
Introduction
to Permaculture by Bill Mollison and
Reny Mia Slay
Again - an excellent book by the master. Definitely the best
introductory
book out there, but if you can afford it, fork out the extra
bucks for the Designers Manual.
Ecological
Design by Sim Van Der Ryn, Stuart Cowan
An excellent case for the cause. Convincing works on making ecology
the basis for design, well presented theory and an impressive
case study. Sim Van Der Ryn is a solar architect pioneer and
the principal designer of Real Goods' flagship store. Stuart
Cowan adds a practical and technical touch and I would recommend
this book even if he wasn't a friend of mine.
Designing
Sustainable Communities : Learning from Village Homes by
Judy Corbett and Michael Corbett, foreword by Robert L. Thayer
This book gives an inside look into Village Homes, perhaps the
best example of a sustainable community in the United States.
Many insights into the planning, design and development of the
project as well as how it has evolved since it's inception in
1975 make this book a gem of a read for everyone interested in
planning and design of communities.
Site
Planning by Kevin Lynch
The
Beauty of Straw Bale Homes by Athena
Swentzell Steen and Bill Steen
This is the second great straw bale book to come from Athena
and Bill. The first one "The Straw Bale House" (see
below) has more technical building info for first timers. This
book is filled with glorious photographs that give plenty of
design ideas and also discusses retrofitting, earthen plasters
and wall finishes.
The
Straw Bale House by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, David
Bainbridge
Buildings
of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw
Bale Architecture by Bruce King
The
Oregon Experiment by Christopher Alexander
A
Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
Timeless
Way of Building by Christopher Alexander
Architecture:
Form, Space, and Order by Francis Ching
A comprehensive primer on the principals of form by one of my
favorite graphic designers. Exellent concept planning and principles
of design. Brilliant illustrations by one of the best. Look for
other illustration how-to books by Frances Ching and get them!
Perspective by Malcolm Wells
Architecture
of Affordable Housing by Sam Davis
Interior
Design Illustrated by Francis Ching
The
Elements of Style by Stephen Calloway
and Elizabeth Cromley, editors
Interior
Lighting for Designers by James Nuckolls
Iald & Gary Gordon Iald
Japanese
Touch for Your Home by Koji Yagi
Color:
Natural Palettes for Painted Rooms
by Donald Kaufman and Taffy Dahl
Envisioning
Information by Edward Tufte
Design
With Nature by Ian McHarg
Roof
Framing by Marshall Gross
Your
Natural Home: The Complete Sourcebook and Design Manual for Creating
a Healthy, Beautiful, and Environmentally Sensitive House by Janet Mirinelli and Paul Bierman-Lytle
Building
Construction Illustrated by Francis
Ching
The
Naturally Elegant Home: Environmental Style
by Janet Marinelli
The
Natural House Catalog: Everything You Need to Create an Environmentally
Friendly Home by David Pearson
Designing
Your Natural House by Charles Woods
and Malcolm Wells
Build
It With Bales: A Step-By-Step Guide to Straw Bale Construction by S. O. Macdonald and Matts Myhrman
How
to Build an Underground House by Malcolm
Wells
Low
Cost Pole Building Construction by
Ralph Wolfe
Tipis
& Yurts: Authentic Designs for Circular Shelters by Blue Evening Star
Gaia's
Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby
Hemenway, forward by John Todd
Forest
Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape
by Robert Hart
Trees
In Urban Design by Henry Arnold
Tree
Crops : A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith
Western
Garden Book by Sunset Editions
Water
Conserving Plants and Landscapes for the Bay Area
by EB MUD
Landscape
Lighting Book by Janet Moyer
Accessible
Landscapes: Designing for Inclusion
by Philip S. Evans and Brian Donnelly
Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Eull Gibbons
Drawing
the Landscape by Chip Sullivan
Provides a how-to look at drawing the landscape. (NOT for learning
to draw plans...see next listing) 280 pages with color drawings.
Landscape
Graphics by Grant W. Reid
This is the one that will help you learn how to put your
designs onto paper.
Perspective
Drawing by Kenneth W. Auvil
Architectural
Graphics by Frank Ching, Francis D.
K. Ching
Drafting
House Plans by June Norris Curran
Four-Season
Harvest: How to Harvest Fresh Organic Vegetables from Your Home
Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman,
Kathy Bary (Illustrator)
Especially for gardeners with a short growing season, this book
is a gem. Many ideas for extending the season on both ends as
well as food storage systems to keep you in quality produce year
round.
The
New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques
for the Home and Market Gardener by
Eliot Coleman, Sheri Amsel (Illustrator), MollyCook Field (Illustrator)
The
Mulch Book: A Complete Guide for Gardeners
by Stu Campbell
A terrific mulching resource; what mulches specific plants prefer,
where to scrounge and scavenge organic materials for free, how
to use mulches for maximum benefit. Handy little reference book
which includes information on more than forty materials used
as mulch.
Food
from Dryland Gardens: An Ecological, Nutritional and Social Approach
to Small-Scale Household Food Production by
David A. Cleveland and Daniela Soleri
A wealth of traditional methods used by indigenous people thoroughly
explained; Hopi terraced gardens, vertical mulch, windbreaks,
microcatchments and more. Chapters on everything from soils to
determining contours for swales. A standout in the growing number
of books on sustainable agriculture full of useful information
for anyone with a project in an arid climate.
Designing
and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally
by Robert Kourik
Sadly, this book is now out of print. However, try having Amazon.com
search for a copy for you.
How
to Grow More Vegetables: Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other
Crops by John Jeavons
Lazy-Bed
Gardening: The Quick and Dirty Guide
by John Jeavons, Carol Cox, Sue Ellen Parkinson (Illustrator)
The
Gardener's Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control
by William Olkowski, Sheila Daar and Helga Olkowski
Create
an Oasis With Greywater : Your Complete Guide to Managing Greywater
in the Landscape by Art Ludwig
Builder's
Greywater Guide; Installation of Greywater Systems in New Construction
and Remodeling by Art Ludwig
Drip
Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates: Helping Your
Garden Flourish, While Conserving Water!
by Robert Kourik, Heidi Schmidt (Illustrator)
Robert Kourik takes you through drip irrigation from design to
installation in easy to follow directions with clear illustrations.
Grade
Easy : An Introductory Course in the Principles and Practices
of Grading and Drainage published
by The American Society of Landscape Architects
Garden
Cuisine : How to Heal Yourself and the Planet Through Low-Fat
Meatless Eating by Paul Wenner
True, you don't have to be a vegetarian to be a permaculturist.
Also true, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this book.
Its written by the man who invented the GardenBurger (did you
know he sold as many GardenBurgers his first year as MacDonald's
sold hamburgers?) He overcame severe asthma through changing
his diet. Details the connection between what you eat and how
you feel. Each recipe was tested thoroughly by his chef friends
- if they didn't like it it didn't make the book.
The
Permaculture Book of Ferment & Human Nutrition
by Bill Mollison
Cohousing:
A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves
by Kathryn McCamant
Rebuilding
Community in America: Housing for Ecological Living, Personal
Empowerment, and the New Extended Family
by Ken Norwood and Kathleen Smith
Weeds
of the West by Tom Whitson
Cornucopia:
A Source Book of Edible Plants by Stephen
Facciola
The title says it all about this one...a book full of descriptions
of more than 3,000 species of food crops as well as mushrooms
and microorganisms and where you can find them.
The
Andersen Horticultural Library's Source List of Plants and Seeds:
A Completely Revised Listing of 1993-96 Catalogues
by Richard T. Isaacson (Compiler)
So once you've decided that the perfect apple for your site is
a 'Ruby Lustre', how do you find one? Use this book. It lists
sources for more than 50,000 plants commercially available from
more than 400 North American nurseries.
Water
Conserving Plants and Landscapes for the Bay Area
by EB MUD
Arctic
Dreams : Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape by Barry H. Lopez
Travels
in Dreams: An Autobiography by Bill
Mollison
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Ishmael
on cassette by Daniel Quinn
Noah's
Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards by Sara Bonnett Stein
Reading this book will forever change the way you look at the
suburban landscape. If you're designing for suburbia or just
fixing your own yard this book is inspiring reading that also
contains a nice model for subdivision design.
Chicken
Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil by Andy Lee, Pat Foreman
An explanation of what chicken tractors are, what they do, what
can go wrong, attributes of different kinds of chickens and how
to build a tractor. This is the new edition - published 12/1/97.
It includes new plans for tractors as well as plans for a straw
bale hut that you can use alone or along with a chicken tractor
to house your birds over winter. Also has info on raising turkeys,
guinea hens and pheasants.