A reviewer is well advised to be mindful of the arrogance that is intrinsic to criticizing another's work. Intro to Permaculture is a book of breath-taking scope. I can only write with authority about those parts that apply to my middle-class, Mid-Western (US) frame-of-reference.
While reading the book, I carried it to work and to my daughter's soccer practice. I have never had so many people ask, "What's that?", pick up the book and start leafing through it. *Every* person who picked it up found some illustration that resonated with them and they started reading. I never had THAT happen before. Observation #1, World-class illustrations that are well linked to the text.
This is a good book to read with a highlighter (pen). These are just a few of the lines I highlighted:
Chapter 1:
"-harmony with nature is possible only if we abandon the idea of superiority over the natural world.
-The core of permaculture is design...To enable a design component we must put it in the right place...Each important function is supported by many elements...The key to using biological resources is management...
-the importance of diversity is not so much the number of elements in a system; rather it is the number of functional connections between these elements. It is not the number of things, but the number of ways things work....
-Edges are places of varied ecology. Productivity increases at the boundary between two ecologies because resources from both systems can be used...There is hardly a sustainable traditional human settlement that is not sited on those critical junctions of two natural economies."
Chapter 2
"All designs that involve life forms undergo a long-term process of change; even the "climax" state of a forest is an imagined concept.
-The site is full of information on every natural subject, and we must learn to read it...By observing the landscape we draw inspiration from the survival strategies followed by natural systems, and imitate them using species of more direct use to us.
-external resources are often critical..in establishing a (biological) system...It is also important to take your own resources into account...skills
-Two properties, located only a few miles apart, can vary in rainfall, wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity...This important basic step can mean the difference between living in pleasant surroundings or in miserable conditions on a property that will probably change hands every few years.
-Vegetation has a profound effect on microclimate. it is the planting and use of vegetation (forest, woodland, windbreak, shrubs, and vines) that most shapes the microclimate of the site.
-The most common errors in house siting are: Building at the top of an exposed ridge or hill...Locating a house in the bush, setting up a conflict..for light, nutrients, and space...Building..anywhere inevitable disaster threatens."
There are a total of eight chapters and five appendices. In the past, I have spent twice as much for books with half as much useful information (although never from Amazon ;-) ). I feel that I got more than my money's worth. I (Joe) take full responsibility for any creative spelling cause by my fat fingers or spurious line "breaks" caused by my word processor.
