Build it With Bales, Version Two: A Step-by-Step Guide to Straw Bale Construction

by Matts Myhrman and S.O. MacDonald. 1997, Out On Bale, 1037 E. Linden Street, Tucson, AZ 85719; 520/624-1673, outonbale@aol.com. Paperback, 140 pages, $29.95 + $4 S&H.

“It’s not heavy enough to be a good doorstop and the movie version isn’t out yet, so you might as well read it.” So begins the “Ways to Use this Book” section of Build it with Bales, and, well, you get the idea. The guys who’ve done such a great job making the straw-bale movement FUN have struck again. They’ve added lots of useful content to the earlier edition (reviewed in EBN Vol. 3, No. 6), and tightened it up substantially. The section on plastering and finishing bale walls, in particular, is greatly expanded, while some of the construction details that didn’t pass the test of time are gone. If you’re considering building with bales, get this book! (And don’t forget to subscribe to The Last Straw—also from Out on Bale—for ongoing information and inspiration.)