A Library for a Post-Electricity Future

Just in case you need to do your own dental extractions, Survivor Library has you covered.

Just in case you need to do your own dental extractions, Survivor Library has you covered.

A recent episode of WNYC’s On the Media took a look at what would happen if a solar flare or electomagnetic pulse zapped our access to the Interwebs. What will we do when we can’t Instagram our taco platters?

One of the segments of the show profiles Rocky Rawlins, who runs a fantastic website, survivorlibrary.com. The library is a trove of pre-electricity how-to books, everything from building your own steam engine to beekeeping, navigation, parlor games and much more. Most of the books in the library date to the 19th century.

Since Survivor Library is in an electronic format, you’ll need to either print it out or build your own Faraday cage if you want to use these books after the next Carrington event.

I was particuarly excited to find, in the Survivor Library, a digitized version of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. Good riddance Wikipedia!

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2 Comments

  1. Or convert them with calibre and read them on your Kindle 🙂 saves eyes and trees!

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