About Back40Books

At Back40Books square dealing and good service is a way of life. Our founders, Herman Beck and Linda Lee have been living the simple (actually the highly complex and involved) life since 1975. We heat and cook with wood and raise nearly all of our own food. We share our lives with free-range chickens, horses, cats and dogs. In addition to our livestock we raise vegetables, herbs and trees. Foraging for wild foods and medicinal herbs is an important part of our lifestyle.

In a nutshell, we live the life described in many of the books we sell. So, before we add a title to our inventory we check out its accuracy and usefulness. Trees are valuable, and books use a lot of  them. So, we want our books to be well written and accurate. Sometimes a book is not perfect, but it is the best there is. In that case we will describe those shortcomings as well as the book's strong points.

We designed our web site from the ground up.  We have tried to incorporate several features that make this one of the easiest on-line stores to use.  Our book department has a comprehensive, expandable index that runs down the left side of the screen.  If you click on "Farming" for example the index expands to show all of our farming sub-categories.  One of these sub-categories is “Livestock”.  When you click “Livestock” a new sub-index opens listing types of livestock.  If you want information on “Chickens” click that button and ALL of the books we carry about chickens will be “thumbnailed” on one page so that you can compare prices and titles.  If you want more information on a specific title, clicking on that title will open a page with extended information.  You can then either add it to your shopping cart or click “Back” to review other titles.  We suggest adding a title to your cart if you are seriously considering it; you can easily remove it later before check out.  You will also find our search box to be a fast way to find books by author, subject or title.  If at any time you become baffled or bewildered call our toll-free order line at 866.596.9982 for help and assistance.  While we are busily adding new books daily we still stock many books are not yet displayed in the web database, so if you don’t see exactly what you want give us a call.  And remember, all orders for delivery within the U.S.A., regardless of size qualiry for  FREE SHIPPING!  Please note:  all orders less than $25.00 are charged a handling fee of $2.50.  (For estimated international shipping charges E-Mail: CustomerService@Back40Books.com)  We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cards as well as university and institutional purchase orders.  You’ll need to place non-credit card orders by phone or mail.

 We are especially pleased with our selection of children's books. You can order our titles with full assurance that they meet the highest moral standards. We carry many books published by Pathway Publishers, an Amish company. Many of our books are suitable for home-schooling. Where appropriate, we will recommend books for a particular age group or for home school use.

We stock all of the merchandise offered on our web site. Orders go out promptly after you place them. With our free standard shipping (U.S. Mail, Media Rate) you should have your books 1-3 weeks after you order. If you require faster delivery additional shipping options are available at checkout.  Call 866.596.9982 for details.

There are many good reasons to make Back40Books your store of choice:  Some “discount” web bookstores do not inventory all the books they offer; they drop ship from third party suppliers adding days (or weeks) to shipping time. At Back40 we stock every book we list on our site. We think you will find our site much easier to maneuver and more laid back than other sites. We promise not to bombard you with pop-ups and other annoyances. If you call with a question you will reach a real person who knows the products we sell. And, our Free Shipping  keeps our prices quite competitive with the discounters. We hope you will like our concept and honor us with your orders. We will reward you with prompt, reliable, service.

If you need help of any sort call our customer service department at 573.858.3559 (answered “Back 40 Group”). A knowledgeable person will answer your questions and help you select the right item(s) for your needs. Our customer service department is staffed by people who know the titles and lifestyle.  We can even go down to our warehouse and “browse” through a book with you.  We are easiest to reach between the hours of 10am and4pm Central time but during periods of intense outdoor activity (such as planting or harvest times) we may need to return your call. If you get our recorder please speak loudly and leave a detailed message. Be sure to suggest a good time for us to return your call.  

Back40Books exhibits at many conferences and agricultural events throughout the country.  You can stay aware of the venues we visit and of other book news by joining our e-mail list by clicking the “Join Our E-Mail List” button at the top of the Home page. From time to time we also offer special discounts to members of our list. If you attend a conference or show and visit our booth, be sure to tell us you are a web customer; we love to put a face with a name or voice.  If you have a favorite conference that you think we should attend please call Linda Lee our “Tour Director”.

About our Community and Our Founders

Back40Books is operated by Back 40 Group, Inc., and is based at Nature’s Pace Sanctuary in Hartshorn,Missouri. Nature's Pace Sanctuary is an income-sharing ecumenical religious community practicing universal spirituality and believing that God, the Spirit-That-Moves-Through-All Things,  (The Great Spirit) and the laws and forces of Nature are One.  The community was founded in 1995 by Herman Beck and Linda Lee who presently serve as Elders. In addition to Back40Books, The Community operates the 175 acre Nature’s Pace Farm and Spiritual Retreat Center which is located within the OzarkScenic Riverways National Park in Southern Missouri’sOzark Mountains.  We reside in a quiet, secluded valley surrounded by nearly 200,000 acres of park and conservation land and are nearly 8 miles from our nearest neighbor.  We live a dual lifestyle wherein we live very basic personal lives limiting the use of modern conveniences (our personal housing ranges from small cabins lit with oil lamps and heated with wood, to aboriginal-type wigwams) and yet use state-of-the-art office and web technology in our business.  For example, we are able to operate this web store due to the modern miracles of satellites and computers, yet we limit the use of commercial radio and TV and we produce or forage nearly all of our own food.

Our Community also provides staffing for Resilience, a member supported, non-profit group with interests in self-reliant living, sustainable agriculture and Antique Native American Ways of living in tune with Nature. We also operate the Resilience Research Farm which does plant breeding and systems development for farmers practicing sustainable agriculture.

Nature’s Pace Sanctuary is actively seeking new members.  For more information give us a call at 573.858.3559, E-Mail us atHerm.NaturesPace@Earthlink.net , or drop us a line via snail-mail at Nature’s Pace Sanctuary, Hartshorn,MO65479.  When querying us please share as much about yourself, your skills and your dreams as possible.

Herman Beck-Chenoweth is an author, farmer, researcher, speaker, video producer and homesteader. He began living off the land in 1974, after leaving a corporate career. His work has been widely published in such magazines as the Mother Earth News, American Small Farm and Farming . He is the author of the book Free-Range Poultry Production and Marketing, wrote and hosted our Free-Range Poultry video, and serves as the Executive Director for our non-profit group, Resilience and the related Resilience Research Farm. Herman enjoys farming, raising chickens and turkeys, self-reliant living, foraging foods and nature photography.  He also takes care of our Atrium where we raise citrus fruits and bananas. He has a few too many cats and loves them all.

Linda Lee was reared on a farm and treasures life in her cabin in the Missouri Ozarks.  The abundance and diversity of plants, animals and weather changes as well as the incredible landscape are continual sources of renewal.  She enjoys the treasure hunt that awaits a stroll along the Current River or up a hollow. Will the discovery be a special stone, a plant, a bird, a tree or some other being placed upon Mother Earth for it’s own unique purpose?  She is an advocate of plants as medicine as well as food ala Susun Weed and Joyce Wardwell.  Once the “slower pace of life in the Ozarks” has become a reality she looks forward to offering Nature’s Pace Sanctuary as a setting for retreats, conferences, weed walks and workshops where others may enjoy the beauty and bounty of the Ozark Plateau.  She especially looks forward to offering women’s programs.