Books in General Interests & Hobbies
Explore our curated list of farming and tractor history books.
Classic Farm Tractors
From iconic stalwarts to more eccentric entries into the agriculture industry, this colorful, fun, and fact-filled book profiles scores of farm tractor classics from the twentieth century. Veteran tractor author Robert Pripps tackles each model with aplomb, offering concise descriptions and histories along with informative specification charts that give the lowdown on all-important considerations like horsepower ratings, engine sizes, weights, fuel types, and more. Illustrated with color photography by Ralph Sanders and Andrew Morland, Classic Farm Tractors is arranged chronologically to give a better sense of farm tractor evolution and includes all of the usual suspects--from the likes of John Deere, Farmall, Fordson and Ford, Case, Allis-Chalmers, Minneapolis-Moline, Best, Caterpillar, Massey-Harris, Massey-Ferguson, Oliver, Rumely, and Hart-Parr--as well as lesser-known and forgotten marques manufactured throughout the United States and Canada. In addition, Pripps includes a generous selection of farm tractors from Europe, including models from Fiat, Lanz, Le Percheron, Renault, Deutz, and more. Classic Farm Tractors is an entertaining look at the tractors we all know and love as well as the oddball tractors that fans find fascinating. With well over 200 photographs of more than 100 years of tractors from all over North America and Europe it's the perfect gift for all tractor lovers.
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Farm Machinery - Tractors - A Collection of Articles on the Operation, Mechanics and Maintenance of Tractors
This book contains a collection of classic articles on the subject of tractors. They primarily deal with the operation, mechanics, repair, and maintenance of tractors, offering simple instructions and invaluable tips for those with a practical interest in the subject. “Farm Machinery – Tractors” will appeal fans of vintage tractors and those looking to find out more about the history of agricultural machinery. Contents include: “Agricultural Tools And Machinery”, “The Tractor As A Source Of Power”, “Overturning Of Tractors”, “Hints When Buying A Tractor”, “Tractor Engines (1): Spark-Ignition”, “Tractor Engines (2): Compression-Ignition (Diesel)”, “Tractor Overhaul And Maintenance”, “Tractors: Development And Principles Of Operation”, “Tractor Types: Constructional”, “Features”, “Tractors”, “Working Principles Of Tractor Engines”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on agricultural tools and machinery.
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Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors
The Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors features all the classic machines you remember, plus a few rarities, and they are all here in photographed glory. A classic farm tractor is a conversation starter and a comforting reminder of childhoods on the farm and adulthoods twisting a wrench in the driveshaft. Tractors are cultural touchstones of another era, as familiar as the smell of apple pie baking in a farmhouse kitchen. All of that nostalgia is here in Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors. In this photo-saturated guidebook, you'll recognize the big brands of classic farm tractors, such as Allis-Chalmers, J. I. Case, Caterpillar, John Deere, Ford, and International Harvester (including Farmall). Also well-represented are small and no-longer-existing brands like Advance-Rumely, Cockshutt, Eagle, Fate-Root-Heath, Harry Ferguson, Friday Tractor, Hart-Parr, and Minneapolis-Moline. There are tractors from the United States, Canada, and Europe. Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors includes more than just handsome color photos of these powerful machines. Each model description includes all the pertinent details: engine RPMs, type of fuel, maximum speed, wheel configurations, weight, number of plows the tractor can handle, and variations. With more than five hundred tractor models and an array of color photographs depicting the most iconic ones, Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors is a valued addition to any tractor lover's bookshelf.
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Finding Wounded Deer
Although all hunters strive to make clean kills, sometimes that doesn’t happen. And when a deer has been hit and runs off, it’s every hunter’s obligation to do his best to find it. In this book, author John Trout gives hunters all the information and tools they will need to track down a wounded deer in any situation. Here you will find research and information on recognizing deer trails, identifying various types of wounds, reading sign in snow, mud, and hard ground, and understanding the behavior of wounded deer. With photographs, informational charts, and diagrams, hunters can learn about the intricacies of deer anatomy and wounds so they can become accomplished trackers. Accounts of real tracking events and a handy reference guide ensure that Finding Wounded Deer is a useful tool for all deer hunters.   Chapters include: Wounded Deer Realities Deer Hair Identification Blood Trails Cardiorespiratory Wounds Arterial Wounds Last-Ditch Recovery Tactics Analyzing the Shot Deer Anatomy Tracking Factors Abdominal Wounds Muscular/Skeletal Wounds
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How to Be a Cyclist
Two experts offer this comprehensive guide to modern-day bicycling. No bicycle repair was ever made easier by turning your bike upside down. White shorts are for other people. A helmet perched on the back of your head is perfect if you ride your bike backwards—These and a host of other handy pointers jostle for attention within this A to Z guide to being a cyclist. It's an essential manual and source of wisdom for those who would be kings of the road. Many pitfalls await the unwary middle-aged-man-in-Lycra, but fear not, for the Guide is here to steer you through choppy waters. No more passing out halfway up a hill. No more ridicule in the workplace. No more hurty knee. And no more sock crimes. Pearls of wisdom are scattered throughout this book like rose petals before a princess on her wedding day. For instance, who could deny that life is too short to drink bad coffee? That a noisy bike is marginally more annoying than a whiney toddler? Or that style should ever be sacrificed for speed? Written by experts who know everything there is to know about cycling, yet never forget that there is nothing funnier than a rabbit playing a trumpet, How to be a Cyclist is mandatory reading for all bike riders. "Prepare to have your wanderlust stoked." — The Herald (UK)
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Hunting Deer, Elk and Antelope in the Western States
In his book “Hunting Deer, Elk, and Antelope in the Western States” author John Roush draws from a long lifetime of experiences to capture with lively reading the essence of good stalking. The 37 chapters in 237 pages give insightful writing that is fully readable, enabling the sportsman to visualize the excitement of the hunt. This is his fourth book on hunting and his eleventh non-fiction volume published. A master measurer for the record books for 28 years he has seen many of the finest trophies and talked with the skilled hunters responsible. You can profit from the readings.
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Legendary Farmall Tractors
The first general-purpose tractor with narrowly spaced front wheels, the original Farmall was designed to do fine-tuned field cultivation as well as anything a team of farm horses could do—in short, to “farm all.” The rest is history, even legend, in the agriculture industry—a legend that unfolds in these pages in full color and sharp detail. This big book features five hundred photographs of Farmall tractors, from that first experimental model introduced in 1924, through the classic lineup of International Harvester models that bore the Farmall name, to the last one to roll off the assembly line (the landmark five-millionth tractor produced at the Farmall plant in Illinois). Detailed descriptions combine with these vibrant pictures to make Legendary Farmall Tractors a full-scale appreciation of the art of farm machinery at its can-do best.
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Legendary Farm Tractors
If you’re a tractor enthusiast with a passion for tractor photography, Legendary Farm Tractors is a dream-come-true pictorial produced with you in mind. Containing more color photographs of more types of farm tractors than any other book in print, Legendary Farm Tractors presents tractors from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan—models from the 1880s to today—along with detailed captions, together offering a comprehensive photographic history of tractors. Organized alphabetically by make so that readers can find their favorites easily, the tractors covered here include everything from familiar manufacturers like John Deere, Ford, Farmall, Case, Caterpillar, and International Harvester to obscure tractors that have seldom been seen, such as the special streamlined Porsche coffee plantation tractor that looks more like a sports car than a piece of farm equipment. The extensive variety and distinguished photographs by noted photographer Andrew Morland make this an exceptional book for tractor buffs and the perfect gift book for any machine enthusiast.
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Managing Basin Interdependencies in a Heterogeneous, Highly Utilized and Data Scarce River Basin in Semi-Arid Africa: The Case of the Pangani River Basin, Eastern Africa (IHE Delft PhD Thesis Series)
For integrated water resources management both blue and green water resources in a river basin and their spatial and temporal distribution have to be considered. This is because green and blue water uses are interdependent. In sub-Saharan Africa, the upper landscapes are often dominated by rainfed and supplementary irrigated agriculture that rely on green water resources. Downstream, most blue water uses are confined to the river channels, mainly for hydropower and the environment. Over time and due to population growth and increased demands for food and energy, water use of both green and blue water has increased. This book provides a quantitative assessment of green-blue water use and their interactions. The book makes a novel contribution by developing a hydrological model that can quantify not only green but also blue water use by many smallholder farmers scattered throughout the landscape. The book provides an innovative framework for mapping ecological productivity where gross returns from water consumed in agricultural and natural vegetation are quantified. The book provides a multi-objective optimization analysis involving green and blue water users, including the environment. The book also assesses the uncertainty levels of using remote sensing data in water resource management at river basin scale.
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Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890-1980
Tractor enthusiasts of any era will appreciate the wealth of technical data this comprehensive resource delivers. This expanded 2nd edition fuses familiar and reliable Standard Catalog data with results from the renowned Nebraska Tractor Tests, for the extended coverage savvy enthusiast need. Four grades of prices for most models, and updated prices for tractors of the 1960s and later, assist collectors in evaluating each model. Technical specifications including engine size, weight, performance ability and options offer a more depth report. Additional performance reports from the standard Nebraska Tractor Tests add to a solid foundation of information to create a resource that's second to none.    • Information on tractors manufactured from 1890 to 1960 guides collectors through various generations of tractors    • Updated prices for post-1960 models helps collectors remain updated    • 1,800 detailed archive photos help enthusiasts identify various models
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Standard Catalog of John Deere Tractors 1st
This well researched, all-color reference spans some of the most developmentally significant years of John Deere production history. Listings for each model produced between 1917 and 1972 include features, history, original price, variations of the model, Nebraska Test data and serial numbers. Current collector pricing information as well as two or more large color photographs and 3-4 detail photos are provided for each listing. Enthusiasts and collectors of John Deere tractors will enjoy this informative guide's outline of the company, which includes historical data as well as photos. This resource guide also features information on books, magazines, web sites, museums, clubs, dealers and other sources for information on John Deere tractors.
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The Devil Can Ride
Authors such as Hunter Thompson, Robert Pirsig, and Mark Singer have written about the motorcycle, that icon for outlaws, rebels, thieves, and beat poets. This collection of motorcycle tales features the best of the vast collection of motorcycle writing created since old Gottlieb Daimler first bolted a crude internal-combustion engine to his wooden two-wheeled Einspur in 1876. In addition to essays from Thompson and Pirsig, The Devil Can Ride features works by Peter Egan, T.E. Lawrence, James Stevenson, Jamie Elvidge, John Hall, and Kevin Cameron.
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The Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors, Expanded Edition
The Field Guide to Classic Farm Tractors, Expanded Edition features all the classic machines you remember, plus a few rarities and tractors recently added to the realm of "classics." All are presented in full-color, fully restored glory.
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The Ultimate Guide to Butchering Deer
The process of getting a deer from the field to the dinner plate can seem overwhelming, especially for beginners. Fortunately, this book of expert advice from veteran deer hunter John Weiss, packed with helpful illustrations and step-by-step explanations, makes it simple. Weiss covers everything you need to know to do your own butchering, including field dressing and transporting your deer, and aging and freezing your venison. The Ultimate Guide to Butchering Deer also features instructions on how to grind burger and make sausage links, and even comes with delicious recipes. This truly is a must-read for any aspiring home deer butcher.
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