Flight from the City

Ralph Borsodi was among the first Americans to experiment in leaving the bustling city for a more relaxed, rural life - this book chronicles his progress, and includes many practical pointers.

Like many urban workers, Ralph Borsodi found the non-stop pace of work and the stressful, competitive atmosphere to be damaging to his health and well-being. A new life away from New York City, one where he and his family could enjoy a closeness to nature, better food, and develop practical skills and knowhow, became his goal. Yet Borsodi found the transition from downtown office worker to rural homesteader was not easy, and certainly not for everybody.

Borsodi is honest about the sacrifice that moving out of the city entails: one's options for a social life are fewer, there are no theatres or sports stadiums for example. Challenges such as learning how to maintain one's home and secure it against the elements, while having sufficient finance in place to buy a plot of land and to manage on while adapting to rural life, are described in detail.

Flight from the City was popular when it first appeared in 1933, and its guidance inspired many Americans to follow in the author's footsteps. Even today, much of the wisdom and experience Ralph Borsodi espouses is relevant and valuable for anyone thinking of pursuing a life in the country.