Those eagerly embarking down the path to self-sufficiency might find "Five Acres and Independence" - first published in the 1940's a good step in the right direction. Granted the information is dated, yet you'll be surprised at the amount of useful information the book contains. I have it on good authority that this book was used as a textbook for farm families into the '70's.

In economic times where many of us are actually considering moving back toward simpler times... "a world our grandparents pioneered", it's interesting to see what they did, with what they had.