Books
Bloom, J., & Boehnlein, D. (2015). Practical Permaculture for Home Landscapes, Your Community and the Whole Earth (Illustrated ed.). Timber Press. https://librariesact.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=56737
Written by long-time permaculture specialists (Amazon, n.d.a; n.d.b), this is a practical and contemporary handbook of how to implement permaculture techniques in the home. It provides real-life examples with detailed illustrations to further enhance reader’s understanding. It is also the prescribed textbook for the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Oregon State University (OSU, n.d.).
Tip! You can submit your interlibrary loan request through Liverpool Library’s catalogue or in person. For more info, start here.
Georgiadis, C. (2021). Costa’s world: gardening for the soil, the soul and the suburbs. ABC Books. https://liverpool.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=634603
Georgiadis is an environmental educator, landscape architect and host of ABC’s Gardening Australia (Google Books, n.d.). Costa’s world provides easy permaculture projects for backyard and urban spaces, including how to attract pollinators, increase soil biodiversity, and determine the best plants for which conditions. Text is supplemented with detailed illustrations.
Hemenway, Toby (2009). Gaia’s garden: a guide to home-scale permaculture (2nd ed.). Chelsea Green. https://archive.org/details/gaiasgardenguide0000heme
Toby Hemenway was a university professor and a field director at the US Permaculture Institute (Goodreads, n.d.). Gaia’s Garden is a practical guide on urban permaculture for general audiences. It explains permaculture concepts simply, and provides step-by-step instructions for building small-scale permaculture ecosystems in urban and suburban backyards.
Tip! The Internet Archive's Open Library is a free online library that provides books in accessible formats. You can use the read-aloud function to listen to books on-the-go.
Holmgren, D. (2017). Permaculture: principles & pathways beyond sustainability (revised ed.). Melliodora Publishing. https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8612224
Written by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren, this book explores the twelve design principles of permaculture, as well as its core ethics. It explains the permaculture whole-systems approach, and provides detailed graphics to supplement readers’ understanding. Purely theoretical, this book provides readers with a thorough understanding of permaculture science, goals and principles.
Mollison, B. C. (1988). Permaculture: a designer’s manual. Tagari Publications. https://archive.org/details/permaculturedesi0000moll
A textbook covering most aspects of permaculture in detail. Topics include permaculture ethics, philosophies, aquaculture, and climate patterns and how to recognise them on your property. Content is based on ecological research, and concepts are explained with detailed diagrams. An authoritative reference text, acclaimed by permaculture enthusiasts (Permies, 2013).
Mollison, B.C. (1990). Permaculture: A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Future. Island Press. https://archive.org/details/permacultureprac0000moll
Written by permaculture co-originator Bill Mollison, this seminal guide details concepts, principles, and practical design approaches – including zoning, incremental design, and climate factors. It also includes ‘designer’s checklists’ summarising key chapters, and a comprehensive glossary for the latin names of common plants. A useful reference for beginners and enthusiasts alike.