The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide

A trusty companion for the slow and thoughtful home and the inner utilitarian in us all, The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide: How to Split Wood, Shuck an Oyster and Master Other Simple Pleasures allows you to experience the singular satisfaction of doing it yourself. Each project, whether caring for cast iron or planting with the seasons, is supplemented with expert tips to inspire and empower. Organized into five sections--Kitchen, Outdoors, Home, Gardening, and Grooming--the comprehensive guide features detailed instructions and original artwork for tasks both simple, such as brewing the perfect cup of coffee, and exploratory, such as fording a stream and reading the sky. Accompanying the how-tos are tried-and-true products selected from the Kaufmann Mercantile store that not only help one get the job done but are also a joy to use.

As editors Alexandra Redgrave and Jessica Hundley describe in the introduction, "This book began out of a curiosity for how we grow, build, and craft the world around us. We discovered that there's an art to a simple task done well - it calls for consideration and creativity, the rolling up of sleeves, and the digging into of details. It means getting messy, and, perhaps, messing up. In our world of modern convenience, doing it yourself is immensely rewarding. And so, consider the book in your hands as a starting point. We hope you, like us, find inspiration in these pages to experiment, to investigate, to create, and to enlighten your everyday."
"A trusty companion for the slow and thoughtful home, [this book] allows you to experience the singular satisfaction of doing it yourself. Each project, whether caring for cast iron or planting with the seasons, is supplemented with ... tips to inspire and empower"--
"By the purveyors of the masterfully curated online store with the same name, their first endeavor in print is a huge success." --Real Simple
"Forty-eight how-tos that reflect Kaufmann Mercantile's larger philosophy about life. Included are instructions for starting a campfire, repairing a bicycle tire flat, building a lean-to shelter, sewing a button and sabering a bottle of Champagne, along with suggested tools for the jobs." - the New York Times
"It's not always practical to drop our workaday worries for a trip into the woods, so you might find it worthwhile to bring the "simple pleasures" inside. It's also a lot easier. Fording a stream is dangerous; reading about it from the comfy corner of your three-piece sectional is not. But the Kaufmann Mercantile Guide is not merely an SAS Survival Guide for the craft set: caring for raw denim, soap-making, and gutting fish are just a few of the old-timey skills that'll get you through the artisanal apocalypse."
- Amazon Book Review
"This book will empower anyone to take on a do-it-yourself project, as it includes step-by-step guide on everything from cleaning cast iron pans to brewing the perfect cup of coffee to repairing a flat bicycle tire. There are how-to's for kitchen, outdoor, home, gardening, and grooming projects and tasks, meaning your recipient will feel grateful for your gift the next time a dilemma strikes."
- Sports Illustrated Online