What books on practical skills would you recommend?

[Dream of Freedom]

I am currently making my way through Knots the complete visual guide with a length of paracord doing double duty as a bookmark and a practice piece.

What other non academic practical skill books would you recommend?

[Alphaville]

i learned to cook from an old ratty version of “the joy of cooking” (from 1972 i think it was). i bought used for 50c in the 90s.

diets and fashions have changed a lot since i learned to cook, and even more so since the prehistoric 70s, but it’s still a great guide to basic cooking techniques if you’re into conventional/traditional “western” foods (roasts, stews, baking, etc). the skills are transferable to other cuisines however.

old editions are better than modernized ones in my opinion. my book was not afraid of eggs or butter, and it included diagrams on how to skin a squirrel, for example.

[Alphaville]

oh, and i don’t know if you’re into bicycles at all, but my latest acquisition is park tool’s “blue book of bicycle repair” by calvin jones.

here’s the author doing the explainin’

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtM7K-MaA

i like this book a lot more than zinn’s “the art of bicycle maintenance.” it’s lots more readable for my learning style, and i like that there’s a kindle version available instead of me having to get a thick and heavy sheaf of glue-bound paper with no search function.

[Dream of Freedom]

Well I do keep seeing bicycles discarded beside dumpsters with things wrong with them. Maybe that would be a good idea.

[Sclass]

New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual
by Reader's Digest Association

I find these at rummage sales. Though inferior to online info, it puts it all in one place. They can prevent a professional visit and this save hundreds of dollars in labor costs.

They had one for sewing too.

If you’re serious about getting the auto technician out of your pocket I suggest getting the specific year and model factory service repair manual for your car as well as the parts manual (contains the exploded diagrams). These are generally not cheap but they can effectively keep the dealership serviceman away.

I really liked the HP12C financial calculator manuals. Users manual and example book show common financial calculations for time value of money like “rent vs. buy.” Good if you are unaware and starting out.

[jacob]

https://www.amazon.com/Make-dont-buy-fu ... 0878574506 This one! One of my favorite books.

[JackMoore1965]

It depend what concrete specific skills would you improve?! It can discussing during a long time