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The field of “Experimental Archaeology” has brought many of the technologies that made stone-age culture technologically rich back from extinction. In the process, they have been inspired by the brilliance and resourcfulness of our forebears and they convey this inspiration well. If you want to have some fun, get this book and learn how to create real, functional tools with stone, bone and wood, make an atlatl (and learn to use it - really), create fiber and rope from native plants, even make shoes, clothing and musical instruments. Master this book and never have to shop at Wal-Mart again. It is a beautifully illustrated, rich and wonderful book. Kids will love it.

Solar House: A Guide for the Solar Designer is just that, a rigorous introduction to every aspect of creating a house designed to work with the Sun both passively and actively. The author walks the walk, having “lived solar” for more than 15 years in a house that he considers a Solar Design Laboratory. This is really a manual for designers, not a casual introduction for armchair reading, but if you want to get beyond the superficial and really dive in, this book will teach you details that are hard to find anywhere else. The Green Guru should point out that you don’t have to be a technician to live in a solar house; if she can do it (remember, her degree is in sculpture, not engineering), you can too, just be smart about whom you consult and do some basic homework - and call the Green Guru when you get stumped and need advice!