Backwoods Home Magazine :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

The best magazine of it's kind

2004-10-20
Over the years I've read and subscribed to many different magazines about a simpler life and sustainable living. And this is by far the best I've read. It's what others have started off as but then gotten commercialized. This magazine truly gives a wealth of information. It has a little bit for everyone. Give it a try and I'm sure you'll love it.

As for the reviewer that had problems with the subscription service, that was not my experience. I first started with a trial issue and then a subscription from there and have never missed an issue. When I've called to renew my subscriptions or order books I've always had a very pleasan experience with the staff and very prompt service and shipping.

Magazine good, Company very bad

2004-06-22
Buyer beware of this company. I purchased a full year subscription and after waiting 8 weeks I contacted the company, they denied receiving my payment, then found the payment and sent one issue. Then I did not receive the next 2 issues so I called again. I was told basically too bad for you, we have the Jan/Feb issue, but we only have one issue of Mar/Apr and if you don't pay us $4.00 each for shipping and handling right now by credit card to get the last two issues then they'll probably just disappear. I already paid for the subscription and checking with PO (who they blamed it on) I was told no way would their media shipping be $4.00 per magazine. What a ripoff. Then 3 days after my last call with them I get an issue in the mail almost 2 months early. The next issue, if I receive it, will be the laston my subscription. I will have gotten half of my subscription. I wrote to the editor (Dad of the employees) and he has never responded to me at all. This is a very poorly run company. You can get the information they provide very easily off the Net for free, and Mother Earth News is a much better magazine and company. Beware, they do not care about the customer at all.

Excellent source of self-reliant ideas

2003-04-03
Have subscribed to mother earth news, countryside, and the now defunct american survival guide, to name a few. This magazine is the best by far. This magazine is written by people that not only believe in self-reliant living but who live it as well. It is written from their experiences that give credability to the articles found within the magazine.

I don�t think much deserves 5 Stars, but this magazine does.

2002-12-04
Backwoods Home is a wonderful resource for the homesteader, do-it-yourselfer, preparedness people, and the just generally frugal. Every couple months, a myriad of articles shows up on my door step, covering topics like building a wood fence, foraging for wild plants, the right way to pressure can elk, what and where our civil liberties are going and Lord knows what else! It's a cornucopia of independence.

One way I explained this magazine to a friend was, "It's better than Mother Earth News, and without the left-wing spin." The publishers are a small operation, and that keeps a `down home' feel to the magazine I like.

Here's how to tell if you'ld like this magazine. If thinking about Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living", John Seymour's "Guide to Self Sufficiency", "Back to Basics", "101 Things to do till the Revolution", "Five Acres and Independence", "Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them" gives you a warm fuzzy. Or you own a grain mill, vegatable garden, pressure canner, livestock, hunting rifle, or have heard of a HDR - you will probably like this magazine.

My grandpa and grandma absolutley LOVE this magazine. 2006-12-24
I got a subscription of this magazine for my grandpa and grandma for Christmas.
They absolutley love the magazine and can't live without it. This magazine is full of great recipes that my grandma enjoys, and also news and information that my grandpa lusts after. News, that you don't hear everyday on the radio or news, news that 80 year old Grandparents LOVE and enjoy. I plan on getting this magazine for them again and again.

A libertarian magazine for those who like to do it themselves... 2005-11-13
Some label it a right-wing publication, but for those who understand the libertarian philosophy, that is exactly where the publishers of this magazine fall within the political spectrum.

But you don't have to be a libertarian to enjoy the magazine. If you are looking for a more sustainable and self reliant lifestyle, this is the magazine for you. There's not a lot of fluff here, each issue is a how-to guide, not a cursory examination of the topics at hand. It covers everything from gardening and preserving the harvest to building your own home, with articles on the infrastructure of your home such as electrical, plumbing and general handyman skills. There are also articles on a wide range of do-it-yourself topics that you won't find anywhere else. The authors all do what they write about, they aren't just guessing or talking about theory.

And once you've subscribed and realize what a great value the magazine is, you'll probably want to order all of their back issues. They have 12 years worth of back issues available in an easy to read 8" 1/2 X 11" book format, or you can order them on CD in Adobe PDF format.

You won't find this magazine on the newstand, the publishers realized that over half of all magazines on the newstand are thrown away unsold, and decided that it was a waste of money to pursue that sales channel.

I get jitters when it arrives! 2005-11-08
I am an earthy-crunchy, organic, outdoorsy type and I love simple, natural things. [Yes, I shave my legs! I'm not that bad! Pfft.] Anyway, this is probably one of my favorite magazines of all time. It isn't for everyone, I will grant you that, but if you're into your home and land it is terrific.

Seriously, this magazine has a little bit of everything for everyone....its subtitle is "practical ideas for self-reliant living". Don't you think we can all use a little of that? It would be nice if we could not be so reliant on other countries and their oil....couldn't we go on and on about that one?

For instance, the newest issue touches on the following subjects: Panning for gold, making sausage, solar batteries, funerals don't have to be expensive, how to cook black bear [yes, really], the benefits of mulching, build a water component system, the Marlin 336 firearm, put your garden to bed for the winter, Kinder goats: a small breed for milk and meat.

The magazine is educational, wholesome, down-to-earth, and very family-oriented.

I subscribed last year. When it arrives in the mail I practically start jumping up and down, then run in the house and stash it in my briefcase so I can devote the "perfect" time to read it.

It really is great. In fact, I just resubscribed and I did so for 5 more years. I can't wait to see what Mr. Duffy and his crew in Oregon pump out over that time frame.

I'm sure they will send you a sample issue if you call and ask them for it: 800-835-2418.

Excellent for what it is 2005-10-24
I really like both Mother Earth News and this magazine but it's as far right as Mother Earth News is far left (recently edited: the above poster is right, it is more libertarian than far right now that they mention it). Geared more towards survivalist it has a bit of a paranoid feel to it ("Handguns are to keep you alive while you get back to the house to grab the shotgun you shouldn't have left with in the first place"). They offer the whole collection of everything they've ever published, which I bought and love. I just skip over the government-is-out-to-get-you articles (mostly). Jackie Clay does a monthly Q&A section that is really great. Lot's of stuff on canning and storing food.
Countryside magazine is my favorite as it has the same type of info as Mother Earth News and Backwoods Home with just about no political leanings.

A whopping good read! 2004-10-20
As a Mother Earth News reader since the 70s I've become more and more dissatisfied with the 'slick' and corporate feel of the latest incarnation of TMEN. Then I found BACKWOODS HOME MAGAZINE and read every issue cover to cover. It gives me the type of substance of the old TMEN, but with a different ideological bent. Though I almost never agree with John Silvera he does a very important thing; he makes me think about the issues in a whole new light. The best John Silvera columns are when I do not agree with him, but reconsider old worn ideas I might have held as dear to my heart. Thank You John.
Dealing with Dave Duffy and his whole team has been a pure pleasure. I've order many of the anthologies (back years in single copy form) and have been very pleased with the rapid shipping and care they take with each order.
If you're even thinking of moving to a more rural lifestyle this is the magazine for you and you should order it today.