Free Homesteading Books For My Kindle Fire!

As all my readers know by now, my husband recently bought me a Kindle Fire. So I was excited to go to Amazon to pick out some books to read. What I discovered was a lot of FREE books. They aren't just free, but for a homesteading gal with a mind set on the old ways of doing things...........it is a GOLDMINE!

I have discovered so many new books to me that were written in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Before 1923, means there is no copywrite on these books. I am having a field day on these books! Now I can't wait to get off my computer in the early evening, so I can read my new books on my Kindle Fire. I know we usually think free things are not worth anything. Well for me, these books are full of information that can be used even today. Yes, there is some information that is outdated. But I like reading how they did things back then. I take what information I can use and go from there.

Here is list of some of the books I bought from the Kindle store and loved: (ALL But one is FREE!)

1. Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visitamong the "Pennsylvania Germans" - Edith Thomas - This book is the first one I got for the Kindle Fire. It is the story of a young girl, Mary coming to stay at her Aunt and Uncle's farm to learn how to be a housewife for her upcoming marriage. The discussions between her and her Aunt are priceless. It is also a cookbook with Mary and her Aunt's recipes. And VERY good recipes!

2. The American Frugal Housewife - Lydia Maria Francis Child - This book had many good reviews on Amazon even though most of the women liked it from the historical stand point. I liked learning new frugal things that were so common back then. If you let yourself, you can learn from reading books like this.

3. Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking  - Unknown author - This cookbook could become my favorite. It has all those classic recipes we know of the Amish cook lore. The recipes for Rivels, Hot Dutch Potato Salad, Chicken and Corn Soup, etc.

4. Dishes and  Beverages of the Old South - Martha McCulloch-Williams - This book is another one that is part historical and big part the recipes. The author tells about her "Mammy" and how she did things. Lots of detail on her kitchen, and cooking with, and cleaning the cast iron cookware. Very good info! I love this book and can't wait to sit down and just read it.

5. The Virginia Housewife - Mary Randolph -This is considered one of the first cookbooks of its time period. When looking through it I found many shortcuts and substitutions for various ingredients. She had a recipe for "Mock Macaroni", croquets, vermecelli, and just about every kind of pudding you can think of....and many you can't!

6. The Book of Household Management -  Mrs. Isabella Mary Beeton - This book is another one that is a cookbook and book combined. I think in the day of these books, they explained why or what the history was of the recipes or way of doing things came about. The author is instructing you how to be a good mistress of the house. Doing your work in a timely manner and doing it so you don't have to do it over and over. I found it very helpful for some things I want to work on myself.

7. Self-Sufficiency (Back to Basics Guides) -Abigail R. Gehring - This book I accidentally bought when I first tried to buy using Amazon Prime. It has a lot of good information and is good for anyone new to homesteading. I am hopeful I will learn something new in it. Not saying that I know it all!

8. Life in the Backwoods - Susanna Moodie - This book I have just started and it has already grabbed my interest. I like reading about this time period and the way of life. The descriptions of the way things were cooked, cleaned and cared for make the book well worth my time.

9. Letters of a Woman Homesteader - Elinore Pruitt Stewart - I have had this book in my computer for some time. Before I got my Kindle Fire I was reading it on my computer. I have been putting a chapter on my NY Homesteading group's forum daily, as it is just so good. The author is writing this book as letter written to her former employer.

10. Patchwork A Story of 'The Plain People'  Anna Balmer Myers - This book is a novel and I have not started it yet. I glanced through it and I can't wait to start reading it. It is about a young girl who has lost her mother and is being raised by someone else, learning the ways of the plain people that her mother would have taught her.

I will be putting up more books here as I read them. All of these books are free except for the Self-Sufficiency book. Amazon did not ask me to write this post, and they are not paying me for it (doggone it!). But I am an affiliate of Amazon, so be sure to read my link below for more information on that process. So if you click on all but one of the links, they are free. If you like these kind of books, you are in for a treat! By the way, you do not have to own a Kindle to download the free books on Amazon, they have an app there for reading them on your computer. Check it out!

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

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