Library — old handbooks offline (PDF)
13 German-language handbooks as PDFs, in the public domain (copyright expired), from the Internet Archive (the book store behind openlibrary.org).
The books are not included in the package. They are downloaded with DATEN-LADEN.bat (profile "Complete", German language; around 330 MB in total). After that they are in the folder wissen\buecher\ and open with a click on the PC. As long as they are missing, the links below do not work. They are not available on the phone — the files are too large.
For English and French speakers: the same kind of knowledge is available in English via DATEN-LADEN.bat: Gutenberg agriculture (Project Gutenberg's public-domain books on farming, as a Kiwix/ZIM package, profile "Complete") and the Survivor Library (huge collection of old craft, farming and medical books, profile "Extra", approx. 210 GB — only select it deliberately).
Read first:
- The books are 100–180 years old. Many are printed in Fraktur (German blackletter), which takes some practice.
- Crafts, gardening, fruit growing, bees, bread, soap: much of it still applies today.
- Medicine, dosages, pesticides (formerly often arsenic, copper, nicotine) and canning times are outdated. For canning, chapter 27 applies (botulism!); for medicinal plants, chapter 29.
- Mushroom book: the colour plates are excellent, but some names and classifications are outdated. Some species listed as edible at the time are now considered poisonous. Never forage using it alone (chapter 28).
Medicinal plants
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Arzneipflanzen-Merkblätter des Kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamts (1917) |
official leaflets of the Imperial Health Office on collecting and drying native medicinal plants |
17 MB |
| Fries: Anleitung zu Anbau, Ernte und Verwendung der Arzneipflanzen (1876) |
growing, harvesting and processing medicinal plants in the garden |
24 MB |
| Losch: Kräuterbuch — unsere Heilpflanzen in Wort und Bild (1905) |
medicinal plants with colour plates for identification |
35 MB |
Mushrooms
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Michael: Führer für Pilzfreunde (1901) |
the most common edible, suspect and poisonous mushrooms, illustrated in colour. Use only together with chapter 28 and a modern mushroom book. |
8 MB |
Vegetables & fruit
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Lucas: Der Gemüsebau (1871) |
vegetables in garden and field, varieties, sowing, care, seed production |
35 MB |
| Held: Der Feldgemüsebau (1890) |
growing vegetables on a large scale, plus instructions for growing medicinal plants |
17 MB |
| Jäger: Der Obstbau (1871) |
planting an orchard, grafting, pruning, harvesting, using fruit |
27 MB |
| Lucas: Württembergs Obstbau (1871) |
fruit varieties and fruit growing in Württemberg (south-west Germany) |
16 MB |
Bees
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Zander: Zeitgemäße Bienenzucht (1917) |
introduction to beekeeping by one of the most important German bee researchers |
9 MB |
Kitchen, bread, provisions, farm processing
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Davidis: Praktisches Kochbuch (1885) |
the classic German cookbook: cooking without modern appliances, preserving, keeping provisions, sausage-making and using up leftovers |
46 MB |
| Pusch: Das Bäckerbuch (1901) |
bread and baked goods of all kinds, sourdough, yeast, baking oven |
55 MB |
| Otto: Lehrbuch der landwirtschaftlichen Gewerbe (1840) |
yeast, vinegar, starch, sugar from beet, beer and spirits, lime and brick burning, potash (raw material for soap) |
31 MB |
Crafts
| Book |
Content |
Size |
| Die Kunst des Seifensiedens und der Kerzenfabrikation (1865) |
making your own soap and candles. Lye (caustic soda solution) burns skin and eyes: wear safety goggles and gloves |
9 MB |