Deerskins Into Buckskins - 2nd Edition by Matt Richards (Paperback)

About the Book

First edition published under title, Deerskins into buckskins: how to tan with natural materials; a field guide for hunters and gatherers, c1997.

Book Synopsis

America's Best Selling Tanning Guide. Over 165 photographs and illustrations bring you step-by-step from raw skin to velvety soft buckskin and then show you how to create beautiful garments and useful goods. You will also learn how to make rawhide and hide glue, tan in a wilderness setting and the best way to skin. History, humour and science make this book not only practical, but fun! Designed to be easily understood by the beginner yet rich with details for the experienced, this book teaches tanning as a natural process. No chemicals are needed! All the tools and materials are waiting around your home and land. While the tools are simple, having a great method is the key. This book has that method (see the following reviews). Buckskin is durable, soft, washable and warm. A hand-made garment for people all over the world for millennia, it breathes and stretches with your body, cuts the wind and won't tear on briars. It is excellent to wear hiking, hunting or around the house. Plus you don't need to hunt.

From the Back Cover

Detailed photographs and illustrations, a simple to follow style, and fourteen years of experience teaching thousands of people how to tan, allow Matt Richards to show you exactly what you need to know to successfully turn your deer, elk, moose or buffalo skins into the leather preferred by outdoorsmen and native peoples for millennia. You'll learn the traditional methods of brain tanning as well as how to use a dozen eggs or soap and oil instead. This revised and updated edition includes substantial improvements to the process that make it even easier for you to produce soft and durable buckskin.

Praise for this book:

• "If a guy can't tan a hide with this he should stay out of the woods!" Ted Fry, Raptor Archery
• "By far the best" Carla Emory, The Encyclopedia of Country Living
• "amazingly thorough" Susan Jennings, Muzzleblasts magazine
• "a comprehensive guide" American Library Association
• "cuts tanning time and effort in half" American Survival Guide
• "teaches with wit, clarity and ease" Backwoodsman Magazine
• "You'll be amazed at the ease of the process" Jim Riggs

Buckskin is durable, soft, washable and warm. A hand-made garment for people all over the world for millennia, it breathes and stretches with your body, cuts the wind and won't tear on briars. It is excellent to wear hiking, hunting or around the house. Plus, you don't need to hunt. Deerskins that would otherwise go to waste are available every fall from neighbors, locals and butcher shops.

About the Author

Matt Richards has been teaching tanning, tanning for a living, and wearing buckskin for over 25 years. His book Deerskins into Buckskins has been the most popular tanning guide in the world since it was first published in 1997. He lives on a ranch in southern Oregon with his wife and daughters, where they enjoy hunting, gathering wild foods, gardening and going for a swim in the river.