He spent much time with Bushmen, whose assured hunter-gatherer lifestyle in a semi-desert environment profoundly influenced his thinking; he said that they took from nature only as much as they needed for survival. He came to realise that much of human knowledge and culture is an ancient inheritance, and not primarily the product of urban progress. John's primary concern was that we should not readily give up a world that had been so long in the making - a world of hunter-gatherers, small-scale farmers, sailors and foresters. Should we not think twice, he would say, before we launched head-long into a plastic, fossil-fuel powered, environmentally destructive age? Topics covered in our residential courses include many of the activities described in The New Complete Book of Self Sufficiency. The bestselling classic guide to off-grid green living, now with a brand new foreword from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. John Seymour was an idealist - he had a vision of a better world where people aren't alienated from their labours. As a young man, he travelled all over Africa and fought in Burma in World War II. Returning penniless to England, he lived in a trolley bus and on a Dutch sailing barge before settling on a five-acre smallholding in Suffolk to lead a self-sufficient life. He continued this lifestyle with his companion Angela Ashe on the banks of the River Barrow in County Wexford, Ireland. The two had built up the smallholding from scratch over 19 years. In his last years John, Angela and William Sutherland had been running courses in self-sufficiency from their home at Killowen, New Ross. The courses were taken by students from all over the world, who come to Killowen to learn about his lifestyle and philosophies at first hand.

In 1964 the family moved to a farm near Newport, Pembrokeshire. The 1970s saw Seymour's publication rate reach its peak. In 1973 John and Sally wrote Self-Sufficiency and in 1976 The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency was published. Appearing shortly after the publication of E.F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered (1973) and The Good Life's first showing on British television (1975), the sales of the book exceeded all expectations. It was also set to establish the reputation of two young publishers, Christopher Dorling and Peter Kindersley who had commissioned and edited the work. In addition to self-sufficiency he wrote four guide books in the Companion Guide series. John also made many television programmes: an early series followed the footsteps of George Borrow's Wild Wales (1862). In the early 1980s he spent three years making the BBC series Far From Paradise (with Herbert Girardet) which examined the history of human impact on the environment.

I’m A Stranger Here Myself - the story of a Welsh farm (1978). London: Faber & Faber. (With illustrations by Sally Seymour) The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It (2003). London: Dorling Kindersley. (with Will Sutherland) Poultry Management - the day to day routine, types of poultry run, protection from predators, prevention of disease, feeding rations Storing and preserving food - Essentials of different methods of preserving produce by freezing, bottling, jam/jelly/wine making, drying, clamping and salting His stepfather's chewing-gum business held no interest as a career for John. Instead, he went to study agriculture at Wye College, Kent, after which, at the age of 20, he moved to South Africa, where he managed a sheep farm, worked in a copper mine and joined the government veterinary service.

None the less, although John was not fond of urban life, some of his best friends, among them the poet William Empson, were city-dwellers, and he was thus at the heart of many a London party, and loved a lavish Chinese meal in Gerrard Street. Scything and grass management - how to manage your grassland, make hay and use a modern scythe effectively Self-Sufficiency (1973). London: Faber & Faber. (With Sally Seymour.) The original self-sufficiency guide. Northumberland offers many wonderful opportunities to enjoy iconic scenery whether on the coast or in the hills. We always take time to explore and picnic - also to experience local culture and traditional music in the pubs. His greatest success was The Complete Book Of Self-Sufficiency, which came at a time when doubts first set in about a way of life entirely dependant on fossil fuels - the 1973 oil crisis and the miner's strike. The title helped launch a new publishing phenomenon, Dorling Kindersley. The highly illustrated work sold more than a million copies in some 20 languages. Its appeal was to those who wanted to learn about such skills as growing their own vegetables and making their own cheese.In the late 1950s, taking his wife Sally, a potter whom he had married in 1954, and their three young daughters, John moved to five acres of land near Woodbridge, in Suffolk. In BBC radio programmes, and in such books as The Fat Of The Land, he celebrated the concept of self-sufficiency, which he saw as an antidote to the emerging dependence culture that robbed people of dignity and self-respect. He wanted people to declare their independence from industrial society, emphasising that there was more to life than a 9-5 job. John continued to write books celebrating all aspects of rural life. For most of the last two decades, he lived in County Wexford, Ireland, and, even though age started to take its toll, he still ran courses on such topics as milking cows or curing ham. Participants signed up from all over the world. Evenings were for storytelling, playing the harmonica and singing sailors' songs - John had the extraordinary memory of a man who refused to clutter his mind with television programmes, even if he loved presenting them. Pig Husbandry - basic principles of pig husbandry, methods of fencing, the design of the pig sty, the choice of breeds Basket Making - a day spent making a simple round basket, different types of weave, how to manage and cut your own willow Beekeeping - structure of the beehive and the annual cycle of bee activity, how to get started, basic equipment needed

He had multiple roles as a writer, broadcaster, environmentalist, agrarian, smallholder and activist; a rebel against: consumerism, industrialisation, genetically modified organisms, cities, motor cars; an advocate for: self-reliance, personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, conviviality (food, drink, dancing and singing), gardening, caring for the Earth and for the soil. Die Lerchen singen so schön (1982). München: Heyne Science Fiction Bibliothek (English version, unpublished: The Larks They Sang Melodious, novel)

The Book of Boswell - autobiography of a gypsy (1970). London: Gollancz. (Author: Silvester Gordon Boswell, Ed. John Seymour) Note that numbers are limited to 6 persons per course. For those coming with a spouse or partner there is a 20% discount for the second student. John was as much at home in the humblest house on a hillside, as in the manor house of landed gentry. He was like a force of nature, always willing to listen, always interested in learning about new — or very old — ways of working the land. He was a one-man rebellion against modernism. Herbert Girardet, 2005. [1] Bibliography [ edit ] Find sources: "John Seymour"author– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( March 2011) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

While we aren't all be able to move to the countryside, we can appreciate the importance of Seymour's message, as he shows us the value of living within our means and making the most of what we have to hand using skills that have been handed down through generations. Rye from the Water's Edge (1996). Rye: Academic Inn Books. (with illustrations by Connie Lindquist)Composting - the practical demonstration of how to manage this mostvitalpart of your garden - the compost heap Seymour was born in Hampstead, London, England; [1] His father was Albert Angus Turbayne, a skilled bookbinder and designer. His parents separated and his mother, Christine Owens, remarried and the family moved to the seaside town of Frinton-on-Sea in north-east Essex. [1] It was however surrounded by agricultural land, and the life led by those on the land and in small boats laid a foundation for his later vision of a simple cottage economy with farming and fishing providing the essentials of life. The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency (2002). London: Dorling Kindersley. (with Will Sutherland)