Thanks to muddy friends Ian Miller, Christo Markham, and Xavier Rodriguez, there are now German and Spanish editions of Build Your Own Earth Oven. The German edition is published by Stocker Verlag, (click here). The Spanish edition is published by EcoHabitar (click here).
A few words of thanks are in order: Ian’s first oven inspired him to start a bread business and build his own natural house; when his (Austrian) wife Andrea got accepted for an educational program in her homeland, he wrote me out of the blue, proposing an oven book for a German speaking audience. He took on the project, found a publisher, did the translation, and made it happen. In addition to ovens, Ian also has a deep love and appreciation for the traditional European scythe. He’s been certified as an instructor by the Austrian scythe Association, and is now working on a book about scythes as practical tools for homestead management of hay and grains. (We’ll let you know when it’s ready!)
Christo Markham grew up in the states and worked in various capacities: as a baker, on a framing crew, and building rammed earth houses. He went travelling, and ended up relocating to Holland, where he raised a family and found work as a printer. Through baking, he learned about cob ovens and the US-based earthen building revival — which led him into his own earthen building business, and many friendships — one of them with Xavier Rodriguez, about whom I know little, except that he’s a friend and builder colleague of Christo’s and a Spanish speaker who helped Andres Prado, the translator who took on the task of translating a little oven book from English into Spanish.
Thanks and blessings to you all!
Hi Kiko,
Just now reading this. A little more about Xavi RODRIGUEZ: he is orginally from vigo in Galicia Spain, was a professional Soccer player in the second division. Moved to ghe Netherlands for work more than 20 years ago. Worked in conventional construction until we met in 2008 since then we have journeyed together along a bumpy and exciting path of Natural BUILDING. A great friend and happy father to his son.
Oups i forgot to write that i sent a comment because the email address I have does not seem to work today! I would not want it to be published!
Anyway, I would love to show some of your beautiful work in our book – to give some inspiration as we europeans make very square heaters, whereas they can be so much more creative.
thank you!
Dear Kiko,
long time has passed since we exchanged these info about Ianto Evans!
I am writing to you 17 years later!
I hope you are fine, I ‘ve just read many pages of your website because together with Vital Bies we are finishing to write our second book about masonry stoves, to be published in october 2024 by Terre Vivante (terrevivante.org). (the 1st one was published in 2010, with title Poêles à Accumulation)
We have re-written and explained a lot about our favorite woodstoves, and the last part of the book is about DIY heater masonry- this time not to give new recipes but encourage people to see everything that’s already been invented with Rocket style and other kinds of heaters.
Yet we have juste realised that although we have loads of professional pictures, we have very few, almost nothing, about self-builders.
I have juste completed the bibliography / webgraphy, with some of your documentation, and I found this very interesting picture: Image en ligne Would you please allow me to publish it in our book, to illustrate a good idea of giving mass to a metal stove?
A friend of us is working on a project like this called “retrostove”.
But for this we need HD pictures (at least 1 MO).
Would you like to send us some artistic pictures of ovens, rocket stoves? of special clay plaster details?
And of course, to make it simple, we are late, our book shoule be hand out to the publisher yesterday!
And also, if you see recent books (I have Erika & Ernie Wisner’s book) I could have missed and should mention for example, please feel free to tell me, the book will be more complete…
Tanks in advance for your answer!
Best wishes,
Marie Milesi