'Make Do and Mend' is an unusual book published by Michael O'Mara Books ltd, with a foreward by Jill Norman. It is a fascinating collection of Second World War instruction leaflets giving hints how, amongst other things, to save energy and to repair or look after clothes. Although not all the ideas are very practical in todays green world, especially the use of coal as a fuel, it is however still very interesting and amusing!

For younger generations i think some of the 'propaganda' type of comments will seem strange and amusing. Examples include:

"Save fuel for Battle"
"Buttered toast - or bullets"
"Your fuel sense means pennies in your purse"

One can see how the toast and bullets issue during WWII could translate to toast and green house gases today. On a more practical level, the book has many hints about repairing clothing and cooking food efficiently. There is a lot of emphasis on turning fires off or on when leaving or entering a room. It is a fascinating read, with many 1930s-1940s illustrations on just about every page.

The book is available from The Centre for Alternative Energy .

 

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