Cob: Re: New cob book (The Book)

[Ocean]

Dear Snakedancer, Leslie and Darel, and all other coblist seekers in The 
Movement,

A few comments, sure to start a firestorm of philosophical debate...let 
the games begin!

I have just received the Cob Cottage Company's new primer on cob, "The 
Hand Sculpted House" (which I will hereafter refer to as "The Book") and 
believe it is the most comprehensive and well written work on the 
subject so far.  The Book covers the practical "how-to"s in far more 
depth than the previous "Cobber's Companion", and should, as Cob Cottage 
wrote The Book in a collaborative effort over the several years which 
followed their earlier book.  We in fact love The Book so much we are 
featuring it and selling it through our cob restaurant 
(www.intabas.com - sorry for the commercial message, it's habit by now)

So, Snakedancer, if you want to buy just ONE definitive book on cob, 
I'll say, THIS IS IT, buy The Book!

Now, Darel, regarding your nasty reaction (aka tantrum) to a SINGLE 
word - "philosophy" - in the title and blurb about The Book, which you 
felt warranted SLAMMING a piece of work you haven't even browsed, let 
alone read, and which aforementioned nasty reaction (aka tantrum) you 
felt was so appropriate that you shared it with a whole listserv of 
folks who are dedicated to the OPEN-MINDED SHARING of information on cob 
building...if this is the way you feel, please REMOVE yourself from our 
list!  I mean, you are so CLUELESS!

Phew, having gotten that off my chest, let me try to be "objective".  
After all, much of what we explore here and in other non-internet 
natural building forums has a very philosophical basis.  Here's what 
I've perceived from my few (but lengthy) interactions with Ianto and 
Linda, and many others in the cob movement (hereafter referred to as 
"The Movement"):

1. Cob is an art, a way of life, an alternative, in fact a radical way 
of building, and being such it requires a philosophy to support and 
justify taking such an extreme diversion from convention.  In a society 
as "dirt-o-phobic" as ours, how else are we going to justify building 
our homes out of it!

2. Moreover, Ianto and Linda share an agenda to which I wholeheartedly 
subscribe, that of simplifying our lifestyles to as great a degree as 
possible, so as to lessen the destructive impact we Westerners have on 
our planetary ecosystem and thus on the lifestyles of everyone else.

3. Many ("most"?) of the alternative building folks who I've met in The 
Movement also share this philosophical motivation, and are not just 
drawn to cob because it's cool, or beautiful, or fun, or cheap...though 
all those reasons are also very important.  Cob is COOL and beautiful 
and fun and CHEAP!  There's more...

4. Ianto and Linda also teach cob building from a LIBERATION 
perspective, which is necessary in order to live more simply.  This 
perspective is entirely PRACTICAL as well as philosophical:  "Most" 
Americans are inevitably burdened by a system of institutional building 
practice and real estate ownership, which manifests in the "30-Year 
Mortgage" (hear: ominous music of doom and gloom!)

5. Simply put, we purveyors (and victims) of the American Dream who are 
"lucky" enough to "own" a home, will in fact spend "most" of our lives 
slaving in unsatisfying jobs AWAY from our homes, trying to earn 
enough $$$ to pay off the home which we will VISIT every night and every 
weekend until eventually we retire, sell the home off to cruise the 
country in a Winnebago or give all the $$$ to our nursing home...seems 
the American Dream has become the American Nightmare!  And we haven't 
even talked about the larger majority who is trapped "renting" homes 
from landlords!

6.  But let's look at the 30-Year-Mortgage again:  The amount of 
interest compounded and paid over 30 years often surpasses the value of 
the home itself!  Who profits?  The bank, the corporate lender, the 
owning class...a very small minority profits obscenely from labor of the 
majority.  (Hey, isn't this Marxism? Eek, PHILOSOPHY again!)

7. Ianto and Linda and "most" leaders in The Movement see cob building 
as an ideal way to break free from the yoke of this oppression.  We can 
build a home for, say $10,000, and then still have the REST OF OUR LIVES 
to live in it!  This is a philosophy of liberation is discussed 
beautifully in The Book, complete with cute cartoons to illustrate the 
burden of 30 years of "interest" and a liberated person (cobbie) hopping 
and skipping in delight!

So, I'd recommend The Book to anyone and everyone.  I also have no 
problem giving credit where due to the Cob Cottage Company as the 
foremost leaders and founders of The Movement.  Sorry, Darel, but we 
natural builders of The Movement share a powerful pragmatism and one of 
the most egalitarian visions (read: philosophy) that I've ever seen:  
FREEDOM, JUSTICE and HOUSING for all!

Cob On!
Ocean

On Tuesday, August 13, 2002, at 10:12 PM, Darel Henman wrote:

> Leslie,
>   read with a little comprehension.  I asked for peoples' opinions about
> the book, because I learned that its a waste of money to buy a book
> that'S supposed to be about doing, when it turns out to be mostly about
> someones philosophy.
>
>> How about reserving comment on a book until the book has been read? 
>> Having taken a course from Cob Cottage Company (the people who are in 
>> quite a large part responsible for any of us
>
> /* You should say "most" of us. */
>
> even being aware of cob, much less having an interest in this list) I
> can assure you that they will have been extremely knowledgeable,
> accurate and professional about this endeavor. Having not read it YET
> myself, I don't see how it would benefit to surmise more.
>
> Sometimes, even the professional good writers write a bad book.  Critics
> review them, hopefully objectively.  Fans talk about it relative to
> their other books.
>
> I have gotton one good objective comment about the book so far
> privately, and no negative ones.
>
> I don't know the authors, the title makes me wonder, so I asked for some
> kind folks opinions.
>
>> Leslie
>
> Darel
>
>>> Reply-To: Darel Henman <henman at it.to-be.co.jp>
>>>
>>>
>>> Well the phrase in the title, "Philosophical Guide" really rises a red
>>> flag.  Some people feel if they need philosphy they will get it were
>>> they want.  But to put this in a how to book, is one good way to ruin
>>> it.
>>>
>>> Now, I haven't read the book, but, I heard they the authors go on
>>> claiming to "buy nothing" and so on and so on.  Now some people, live
>>> differently than the authors and will have to do acquire things their
>>> own way.  They don't need readig about someone elses philosphy.  Most
>>> just want information about how to do.
>>>
>>> As I said I haven't read the book, but the philosphical bananas 
>>> raises a
>>> flag.  Has anybody objective out there read it and can comment on the
>>> philosophical mumbo jumbo and how much is in there and how distracting
>>> it is?
>>>
>>> Also how many pages do the seven appendixes take out of this 346 page
>>> book?  On top of that with the 8 color pages the 230 drawings and a 
>>> full
>>> glossary, how many pages of actual "cob know how and how to" are
>>> included in it?
>>>
>>> I'd hate to buy the book only to find it had no content only pictures,
>>> glossary, and appendixes with codes and permit information for a 
>>> state I
>>> don't live in.
>>>
>>> Is there anywhere where people can review it?
>>>
>>> Darel
>>>
>>>
>>> Cob Cottage Company's new book: "The Hand Sculpted House, A  
>>> Practical and
>>> Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage" is now available,
>>> It is 346 pages long and includes: 8-page color section, almost 100
>>> black and white photos, plus 230 drawings by Deanne Bednar. 
>>> bibliography,
>>> full glossary of Natural Building, seven appendices including Codes
>>> and Permits, Earthquakes, Research Needed and Training Opportunities,
>>> 10 chapters of step-by-step how to do it, 9 chapters of background,
>>> including design, siting, budgeting and site preparation.
>>>
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