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Each book in the Back to Basics Series is designed and written to teach woodworkers core information they need to succeed in a clear and plainspoken manner. As the series' slogan puts it, "Your world is complicated enough, your woodworking information shouldn't be."

Cabinet Construction is the newest title in this popular series. Taking the confusion and complication out of learning to build furniture, the book introduces readers to basic carcase construction, teaches woodworkers to design boxes, and covers frame-and-panel construction. Next, the new woodworker gets all the basics on building doors, drawers and legs. Other basics perfect for the beginner include choosing the right lumber, joining boards, planing stock, ripping a work piece, and sanding.

Written with a straightforward approach, Cabinet Construction includes color photos as well as highly detailed illustrations and diagrams that help readers visualize each technique. It's perfect for both the beginner who doesn't want to get bogged down with too much information and the experienced craftsman who needs a handy reference tool to keep on hand.

Want to read more? Preview this book: Building Drawers: Understand Options for Drawer Joints, Mounting Methods and Fronts.

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Edible DIY may not be the first book for crafty cooks and burgeoning urban homesteaders, but it is the easiest. Based on the popular online Serious Eats column by the same name, Edible DIY includes 75 recipes divided into five chapters: Crunchy; Boozy; Sweet; Spicy Condiments, Pickles and Snacks; and Jams, Jellies and Other Preserves. With plenty of packaging tips throughout, Edible DIY is the perfect solution for making inexpensive edible gifts in your own kitchen with everything from Peppermint Marshmallows and Coconut Granola to Homemade Sriracha and Espresso Barbeque Sauce. Inspirational full-color photography throughout illustrate the recipes.

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Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Becky Bee's manual is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob.

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If you've ever dreamed of building a rustic log cabin to use as a weekend hideaway, hunting lodge or even an emergency retreat, this book tells you how to make it a reality. This step-by-step guide is chock-full of tips and advice culled from author Michael Mulligan's decades of experience. Specializing in do-it-yourself projects that use improvised materials and avoid bureaucratic hassles, Mulligan first shares invaluable insight on finding your land and negotiating the shark-filled waters of real estate deals. Then, in straightforward terms that even a novice can follow easily, he walks you through the construction process, from selecting and preparing the logs to erecting and chinking the walls to building the roof and finishing the interior. He also includes a chapter on dispensing with public utilities in meeting your water, sewage, heating, cooking, lighting, power and refrigeration needs. Finally, for those who wish to tackle a scaled-up version of Mulligan's basic design, he presents the formulas necessary for calculating the parameters and selecting the proper material.

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Lumber prices are soaring, and deforestation is a rising concern. Yet millions of pounds of perfectly usable wood are dumped in landfills every year.

Wood Pallet Projects shows how anyone can upcycle salvaged pallet wood to create truly one-of-a-kind projects.

Maverick craftsman Chris Gleason combines sound woodworking techniques with a hip designer's sensibility to unleash the limitless possibilities of the common skid.

Inside you'll find 15 of his inspired projects for rescuing and repurposing pallets. Some of his pieces celebrate the rough, edgy character of the material, while others are crafted as fine furniture. He shows how to construct both indoor and outdoor furniture in a variety of styles, along with other useful items such as a birdhouse, toolbox and even a ukulele.

There's plenty of nitty-gritty here on working with pallets, including where to find them and how to process them into usable lumber. You'll learn about sanding, fasteners and the best finishes (if any) to use.

Gleason provides important advice on how to make sure that your pallets are safe and not sprayed with harmful chemicals. A colorful gallery of finished work provides further inspiration for green crafting.

Inside you'll find 15 projects for upcycling ordinary pallet wood into such objects as:

• A Wall-Mounted Curio Cabinet
• A Bathroom Magazine Caddy
• A Side Chair
• An End Table
• A Coffee Table
• A Wine Rack
• A Fireplace Mantle
• Cabinet Doors,
• An Outdoor Lounge Chair
• Funky Birdhouses
• An Outdoor Couch
• A Modernist Picnic Table
• An Outdoor Bar/Serving Area
• A Ukulele
• A Toolbox
• A Workbench

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Featuring 30 designs by leading designer-makers from around the world, DIY Furniture shows you how to use simple techniques to make stunning designer furniture from scratch. Using the step-by-step guides, you can easily assemble all the projects from common materials that can be found at the local hardware store. Along with designs for seating and storage, the book also features projects for making your own bed, wardrobe, lighting and garden furniture. Each project features hand-drawn diagrams with short, easy-to-follow instructions on how to build the piece. Whether building from scratch or customizing existing designs, you can create unique designer pieces at a fraction of the normal cost with DIY Furniture. Brief biographies of all the featured designers are included at the end of the book.

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Designer/builder Ethan Fierro celebrates summer with this collection of original outdoor shower designs that he’s discovered across North America. He offers dozens of designs to choose from, all pictured in stunning color photographs, ranging from a simple showerhead on the side of your cottage to semi-detached and freestanding structures. Fierro also includes an overview of basic plumbing and structural requirements, along with suggestions for using a wide range of building materials, such as stone, wood, metal, frosted glass blocks, earth, concrete, tile, stucco, and landscape vegetation. His plans are environmentally sound and incorporate cost-saving techniques, with ideas for repurposing found and recycled materials.

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The Sun-Inspired House evolved from the questions about passive solar, passive cooling, energy efficiency and green building that home owners, builders, engineers and architects asked author Debra Rucker Coleman over the last 25 years. Although the book includes more than 50 house plans, its primary benefit comes from its in-depth coverage of passive solar home design, green building, energy-efficient construction, working with architects and many other resources.