This is a fascinating resource that offers a diverse range of practical knowledge and quirky skills. I found it engaging and informative, exploring topics from basic DIY tasks to unique hobbies.

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills is interesting for a how-to book even if it is not quite practical as I expected. Maybe it would make a good conversational starter or a gift for the person who knows everything else.

This is truly a compendium of practical and obscure skills! I really enjoyed a lot of the skills detailed here, but found the organization of the book overall to be puzzling. While most of the tutorials are quite useful, some feel unfinished or expect a fairly high level of prior knowledge on a topic (ex. the 'make your own rag rug' assumed you'd be able to make bias strips without any further instructions). Basically its not a stand alone reference book, but rather a jumping off point for some interesting and lesser known skills.

A perfect book for lockdown! Intriguing and informative, this book lists quite a few skills that can be learnt from moving a pig(!) to dressing a deer to making herbal tinctures. Invaluable!

Storey’s Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills (214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do). By How-To Experts at Storey Publishing. 2020. Storey Publishing (ARC eBook).

An informative and entertaining how-to book. Interested in how to safely make an emergency dismount from a horse, how to pick up and carry a rabbit, or how to make toothpaste or shampoo? Clear directions with accompanying photographs and illustrations will teach you how to accomplish many tasks in your life to help you lead a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Have you ever wondered how to capture a swarm of bees? Predict the weather by the clouds? And just how do you darn a pair of socks, anyway? Anyone curious about the myriad ways people have taught themselves to make, grow, and build things will find everything they’ve ever wondered about in this colorful, inviting volume. With dozens of useful and intriguing visual tutorials selected from Storey’s extensive library of how-to books, you can learn how to carve a turkey, create a butterfly garden, set up a dog agility course, keep a nature sketchbook, navigate by the stars, and more. Whether you plan to “do it yourself” or just love reading about how things are done, this rich compendium will educate, fascinate, spark conversation, and inspire new hobbies and experiences.

Wow, there is just so much to this book. Most tutorials are just a page long and topics cover a vast range from dressing a deer to finger knitting to changing a tire. I was entertained by the collection, though I admit, I am unlikely to utilize too much of the knowledge unless the world really does enter apocalypse territory (so, hopefully not anytime soon, but it is 2020, so this book is well timed.) I reviewed an ARC, so it is very likely page numbers changed, but it did seem slightly odd that bees and beekeeping, etc were in different sections of the book, but, again, this may have been rectified in the print edition. Several sections were really useful, like those regarding flowers (used for help sleeping), recognizing cuts of meat, and giving excellent massages will definitely be used. Of course, if a person is truly interested in any of these skills, they should check out the book referenced in each section as a resource, easily located at the bottom of each skill.

Serviceable and useful, especially in a period where readers are more likely to need to do these skills on their own instead of having someone come in from outside.

ok so this was a perfect book to spend lockdown with.
homeschooling your kids and just want to teach so life skills.... this book has got you.
are you a leader of a youth organisation and want to show off... this book has you
in lockdown and wanting to entertain yourself and the kids.... yep you guessed it, this book has got you.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3464847952?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Compendium of DIY living tips from previous Storey books. Great for people in more rural areas - tips like how to dress a deer, how to catch a chicken or how to tell different kinds of chicken apart, and how to plan a vegetable garden are great for people with lots of space. There is a small but nice crafting section, where readers can learn how to make a t-shirt quilt, finger knit or crochet, and knit a hat without a pattern. Other handy DIYs include putting a bike chain back on, growing avocado trees from a pit, predicting weather by the clouds, and dyeing your hair with herbs. There are a few tips and tricks here for urban and suburban folks, which makes this a handy book to have in most libraries. Photos and illustrations throughout.

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills: 214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do by How-To Experts at Storey Publishing is currently scheduled for release on September 15 2020. Readers with a hunger for knowledge and an interest in the myriad ways people have taught themselves to make, grow, and build will discover the ins and outs of how to do everything they’ve ever wondered about in this colorful, inviting volume. With dozens of useful and intriguing visual tutorials that cover how to carve a turkey, capture a swarm of bees, predict the weather by the clouds, darn socks, create a butterfly garden, set up a dog agility course, keep a nature sketchbook, navigate by the stars, and more, this rich compendium will educate, fascinate, spark conversation, and inspire new hobbies and experiences.

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills is exactly what the title states, and is a helpful resource to have in the home, or to check out regularly from the library. I cannot tell you how many times I planned to do something or ran into one of the myriad of problems that come with home ownership and had to quick search up if my ideas of how to do something are right or will only make things worse. Is the solution in my head really something I remember reading or learning somewhere, and is it the best way to go? The variety of things covered in this book cover a wide range of projects, from the expected and fairly common gardening advice to making beer, candles, and herbal tinctures, to training your dog to run an agility course. A little bit of everything is covered- including many things I had never expected. The text and images come together nicely to make all of the instructions clear and concise. It was fun to look through, and I found many interested parts that I sat and studied. I think this is a great resource for every household, and a perfect gift to those striking out on their own for their first time.

I love books with random facts and how-tos and I think this compendium is aptly named as it is probably the most comprehensive collection of skills I've ever seen in one book. I give the author and editor major credit for how well each skill is outlined - there is a high level of detail without being overwhelming, clear steps and tricks to follow and wonderfully descriptive pictures. My only complaint is what felt like an overall lack of organization of the skills. It would have been nice to see all the farming related skills together, all the survival skills in another section, etc. But overall a really information, useful book.

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills is a pastiche collection of short how-to essays on a staggering variety of self-sufficiency related and obsolescent skills. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Storey Publishing, it's 344 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Storey is well known for producing practical, sensible, well illustrated books aimed at helping readers get the best out of their lives and live a healthy lifestyle. Many of their books and leaflets have found a permanent place in my library and I turn to them often for inspiration and advice. This is a well written collection of precise and accessible tutorials with lots (LOTS) of advice for performing tasks diverse as "reading" weeds to judge growing conditions, making upside-down container gardens in 5 gallon buckets (hint: doesn't work particularly well), shearing sheep, digging clams, making and hanging a hammock, hiving bees, changing a car tire, making biodiesel, and a host of other tasks. There is something here for *everyone*.

This is a beautifully presented book, well written and pretty well illustrated. The recipes are interesting and (mostly) made with easily sourced ingredients. Scattered throughout the book are highlights and essays written by different authors with information and background on all the diverse topics.

It would make a great home reference for paging through. There is little info here for more advanced readers, but almost all of the tutorials are referenced in the comprehensive bibliography for further information. The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. The headers include a description and introduction. Measurements are given in US standard only - some recipes have ingredients listed by ratio (one part this, one part that by weight or volume). Special tools (mortar/pestle) and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and processing and dosage directions. Variations for each recipe are also included in a footer at the end. The book also includes an index as well as references and a tutorial list arranged alphabetically by topic.

Four stars, really interesting book, but -very- basic information.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I thought some of the how tos in the book were great fun. Very resourceful and lots of skills for gardening, crafts, cooking, home repairs, nature - in that respect I could see myself trying out some of the things in the book.

It's definitely a useful reference book for anyone looking to go back to basics and find some resourceful skills.

Some skills were rather bizzar - obscure is definitely the right word! How to move a pig!

My only quarm with the book is in the section with suggestions of edible outdoor plants. The books suggests Chicken in the Woods - a type of mushroom - is edible and can be foraged for. However, my issue is that unless you're a fungi expert (the picker) I honestly don't think a book should be recommending (without caution) that anyone eats mushrooms from the wild. I feel even just a warning about the dangers of eating other mushrooms would be enough as some are deadly.

Other than this, I found this book to be a fun book to use as a reference and suggestion for possible projects.

I received this book as an ARC in return for an honest review.

Perfect for information junkies and DIY-ers, especially now when so many people are sticking close to home during the pandemic. I was a bit disappointed that there were so many drawings rather than photo images, as drawings are harder to decipher when looking at instructions. But I will recommend we purchase it for our collection.

This book is a great addition to your growing library, a nifty something to have especially during this pandemic, as it offers a variety of guides on projects that could beat the stay-at-home blues.

Full review will be posted on my blog read2live2read.wordpress.com

This book runs the gamut from cooking skills, gardening, outdoor projects, and skills your great grandmother did out of necessity such as darning socks. Includes numerous items for the environmentally conscious and those branching out into raising chickens, goats and more. Also includes classics such as changing a flat tire. I’ll be making a batch of sauerkraut after my next trip to the store. (Cabbage doesn’t perform well in my home garden.)

"How to Bathe a Chicken". That's just one of the intriguing chapter titles that will draw readers into this fascinating, useful book. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, many people find themselves spending more time cleaning or improving their homes, whether they own or rent. Household skills such as clothing repair, bike repair, canning, fermenting food and drink, and other once-common skills are explained here in clear, concise words and images. Such activities may provide comfort in an anxious time; learning how to cover a hole in the knee of a child's jeans can be satisfying. The difficulty level and cost of the skills varies, broadening the potential readership. There appears to be little to visible ethnic diversity in the illustrations, somewhat disappointing considering the recent boom in community gardens around the United States, where many Black and Brown people collaborate on projects involving skills like the ones in this book, as well as the increasing numbers of ethnically diverse organic farming collectives. Some are refugees who are sharing their experience and knowledge as they learn more about their adopted country. Homesteaders will benefit from livestock, food preservation, and basic building skills, and so can urban farmers and people working in community gardens. This book could be a good teaching tool for educator and youth workers working with middle and high school students.

This is a skills collection to keep you busy if you are stuck at home, say for example during a quarantine. The only one that is really curious is how to move a pig, but I guess you could practice on family members.

Now this is right up my (Net)galley! Pure lockdown literature, we’re all at home thinking about what to do with our selves. A book about curious skills and ideas, lots of illustrated how-to guides. The content section gives you an overview of all the skills that you ‘could’ learn, and there’s plenty! While you can just skip to whatever interests you at this moment, I really enjoyed browsing through everything page by page.

I love the idea and I love the book! It describes the most curious things, from skills that I always wanted to learn to things that I always wondered “how did he/she do this this?”, but of course I was too proud to ask… I’m not sure if this is an ADHD thing or scanner personality, but I found myself excited about a lot of different things. While I’m not sure if I will ever exchange broken pipes myself, the book offers the reference for further reading and at least I know what I’ll pay the plumber for!

Some reader might think that some of the skills are silly or irrelevant, like ‘how to talk to chicken’, but I thought it’s hilarious! And if you happen to have a flock of wild guinea fowls in your garden (like I do) – it’s so helpful! Maybe I’ll probably never be fluent in ‘chicken’, it still makes for a great piece of entertainment – who knows, it might literally spark conversation one day.

I think the book is a great gift for your family members or friends with ADHD. And of course for those friends, who seem to have everything (including a great sense of humor)!

This book has some interesting tips and how-to's. It's a fun book to flip through and learn some random stuff. Some of the informations that I liked the most were how to build a fire pit, smoke meat on the stove and how to predict the weather by the clouds. But there are lots of cool stuff to read and learn. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review