Favorite Books

Tags
Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives: How Evolution Has Shaped Women's Health by Wenda Trevathan babies, fertility, reproduction, sex, women

So far the best book about how evolution has shaped women's bodies. Chock full of interesting info.
Make Prayers to the Raven: A Koyukon View of the Northern Forest by Richard K. Nelson arctic, indigenous, nature, spirituality

An anthropological study of an arctic tribe written in narrative form, this is a beautiful book that fleshes out aspects of life that are often ignored even by those who follow primal diets. Food is more than just survival, it has important spritual aspects that tie it to us and the places we live.
Heart and Blood by Richard K. Nelson deer, ecology, hunting, wild game

A beautifully written book on the truth about deer, as well as the human place in the ecosystem
Limited Wants, Unlimited Means: A Reader On Hunter-Gatherer Economics And The Environment by Anthology economics, essays, primitivism, sustainable

It's been a long time since I read this book as a an economics/anthropology student, but it had a big impact on me. The essays are diverse and provide plenty of food for thought. The essays also shred pop-culture stone age myths about everything from longevity to the status of women. You can read one of the essays for free online- the seminal The Original Affluent Society by Marshall Sahlins.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon fermentation, recipes, traditional, WAPF

This recipe book is a great introduction to healthy traditions of agrarian cultures all over the world and to the wonders of healthy fats.
Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore by Jennifer McLagen bones, cooking, marrow, recipes, stock

Wait! Don't ever throw away those bones! Learn how to get valuable nutrients and make delicious foods from them! Not a paleo cookbook, but learning how to use bones is an essential paleo skill!
Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby's First Foods by Nina Planck babies, fertility, reproduction, women

Great book on raising healthy children using real food!
8 Steps To a Pain-Free Back by Esther Gokhale back, exercise, pain, posture

Learn how to sit, stand, walk, and lie down like indigenous cultures free from back problems.
Ten Canoes by Rolf de Heer Australia, film, hunter-gatherer

Ten Canoes is one of the rare films I've seen that is about the rhythms of hunter-gatherer daily life. I often suggest it to people who seem to think of such civilizations as missing something without writing, but this film makes it clear how complex and rich their oral culture is. 
Momofuku by David Chang fat, pork, recipes, stock

Learn how to really use lard and to make delicious and nourishing Asian dashi stocks.
Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient with Recipes by Jennifer McLagen fat, recipes, revisionist

Not all the recipes are paleo, but it's a great book for those new to viewing fat as valuable and nutritious rather than unhealthy and greasy. Delicious mouth-watering pictures of some of "nature's gold" seal the deal.
Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice agarian, cooking, recipes, traditional

A cookbook that nourishes the body and the soul. Explore ancient traditions and learn how they can improve your life. This cookbook makes a great gift because it is a simple introduction to healthy eating.
Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz agrarian, fermentation, traditional

Learn how to use fermentation to get the most out of your food. And Sandor ferments pretty much everything in this book. A huge variety of valuable information for anyone.
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel Everett anthropology, hunter-gatherers, indigenous, linguistics

Fascinating both for Daniel's personal journey and his accounts of life among one of the most unusual of the Amazonian tribes.
Meat: A Benign Extravagance by Simon Fairlie agrarianism, agriculture, economics, environment, sustainability

So you've heard eating animals is bad for the environment. The scientific and economic reality is that sustainable food is more complex than cutting out animal products- some animal foods are good for the environment and sustainable to produce. An extensive academic treatment of what this means.
Plants That We Eat: Nauriat Niginaqtaut - From the traditional wisdom of the Inupiat Elders of Northwest Alaska by Anore Jones diet, ethnography, hunter-gatherer, inuit

Inuit only ate meat right? Wrong, the Inuit have an extensive variety of plant foods as well, documented in this wonderful ethnography.
Food and Western Disease: Health and nutrition from an evolutionary perspective by Staffan Lindeberg data, nutrition, science

Probably the best academic treatment of why modern foods play a role in diseases of civilization.
Why Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity by Gary Nabhan culture, food, genetics, indigenous

A thought provoking book about the possibility that human cultures co-evolved with certain foods.