About Daruma · The Library
The permaculture library.
The library at Daruma holds an eclectic, ever-growing collection: most of what you might need to build an eco farm, and plenty you don't. 816 titles at last count, plus hundreds of digital titles, out of print magazines, catalogues and newsletters.
Everything you need to build a village.
Most of the shelves carry permaculture in the title, or sit squarely in its orbit: Permaculture: A Designers' Manual by Bill Mollison, The Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane, Permaculture Principles & Pathways by David Holmgren, Introduction to Permaculture, You Can Have Your Permaculture And Eat It Too by Robin Clayfield, The Permaculture Earthworks Handbook and RetroSuburbia.
It is a working reference for anyone on a course here, not a museum piece. Read a chapter before a session, check a technique after one.
Read about the Permaculture Design CertificateA shelf for almost anything.
Physics, photography, learning Thai, mathematics, greywater, mind mapping, earthen plasters, telescopes, history, cooking, preserving, ecological design, composting, and an entire shelf on brewing beer. There is even a book called The Volume Library that seems to be an encyclopedia of everything, and yes, it is voluminous.
Second opinions, freely given.
We introduced book reviews into the Permaculture Design Certificate more than a decade ago, and they remain one of the most popular parts of the course: a real second opinion on some of our recommendations, from people working through the same reading list as you.
The library on-site holds more than the PDC syllabus has room for, so the reviews are also a way to point people toward what is worth reading next.
Read the book reviews Browse the catalogue
Come study among the books.
The library sits inside Mosaic School, open to course participants throughout a stay. Look at the courses running at Daruma, or ask us a question.