Backwoods Home Magazine occupies a distinct position within the American self-reliance and homesteading press. The publication was founded in 1989 by Dave Duffy as a how-to homesteading magazine for anyone wishing to pursue a self-reliant lifestyle. The magazine contains articles on gardening, livestock, canning, building, cooking, and guns. It is currently a 116 page quarterly publication. The longevity of the title and its consistent editorial focus on practical, original how-to information has created a sustained readership that values material that can be applied directly to homestead operations rather than reprinted excerpts drawn from books.
The magazine’s editorial identity is tied to a commitment to original content. A long-term subscriber describes appreciating the writing of original content, as compared to magazines whose articles were paragraphs taken from books for example, that were reprinted with permission of the publisher and used to fill the pages with content along with the advertising. The information was good in those, but after years the same reprinted material was read in other publications with different photos. For the commenter, Backwoods Home Magazine has authenticity that is valued along with information that is found enjoyable and learned from. The mailbox moment when the latest issue arrives is described as always a good day.
The personal impact of the magazine is documented in reader testimony. One reader notes being obsessed with self-sufficiency my whole life, but until a teenager age I didn't have a word for it. The family was always the opposite, and certainly none of the kids knew were ever interested. The reader was the freak at home and at school. Then a copy of Backwoods Home was stumbled across in the grocery store. Finally this thing in the brain had a name, and there were other people out there with the same obsession. They knew things and were willing to share, I didn't have to stumble around figuring everything out from scratch. The subscription was taken almost immediately. When one summer job paid enough, a lifetime subscription was bought, which they have honored even through their own difficulties. Without this magazine, I would be a lot worse off right now. Jackie Clay taught me to save seeds, and how to preserve my harvests.
Another reader discovered the magazine later in life, bought the annual publication books and just recently found out it was back in print. It really does offer great information. Something useful is always found. Backwoods Home Magazine is one of my favorite magazines. It makes things easy and digestible and palatable for the beginner. The reader is not as partial to Self-Reliance Magazine. For anyone who prefers Self-Reliance magazine to B.H.M., please let me know why you prefer it to B.H.M.
The editorial philosophy is reinforced by a quoted maxim present in the reference material: Study books and observe nature; if they do not agree, throw away the books. William A. Albrecht.
Publication History and Ownership Transition
Backwoods Home Magazine was founded in 1989 by Dave Duffy. The founding mission was a how-to homesteading magazine for anyone wishing to pursue a self-reliant lifestyle. The subject matter has remained anchored in gardening, livestock, canning, building, cooking, and guns.
In January of 2018, when Dave retired, BHM went digital-only on Amazon’s Kindle platform. A year later, Dave’s youngest son, Sam Duffy, reopened the print edition under the auspices of Self-Reliance Publications, a company he co-owns with his sister, Annie Tuttle. Self-Reliance Publications also publishes the print magazine, Self-Reliance.
The ownership transition had practical consequences for readers who value print. The digital-only period removed the physical mailbox arrival that long-term subscribers associate with the publication rhythm. The reopening of the print edition restored that tactile distribution channel while maintaining the digital option that had been adopted during the 2018 transition.
Self-Reliance Publications now operates two titles. The Backwoodsman was a different magazine and is no longer in print — they discontinued publication in 2025. They are not affiliated with us. Our two magazines are Backwoods Home Magazine and Self-Reliance Magazine.
Free Online Articles and Access Points
Backwoods Home Magazine not only has print and online magazine subscriptions, there are also quite a few free online articles. Here's just a few of them.
The existence of free online articles creates an entry point for readers who are evaluating whether to subscribe. Free content allows prospective subscribers to assess editorial tone, practicality, and the degree of original reporting before committing to a print or digital subscription. The reference material confirms the presence of free online articles but does not enumerate specific titles within the provided facts. The Permies wiki entry notes the availability and encourages readers to explore them.
The free articles function as a bridge between casual interest and committed subscription. For a publication that emphasizes original how-to information, free samples serve as proof of the editorial claim to authenticity versus reprinted material.
The magazine’s web presence includes a category for table of contents. The site presents departments and cover art descriptions that give readers a sense of issue structure without requiring purchase.
Subscription Models and Distribution Logistics
We are a quarterly magazine, so there are 4 issues per year.
Both magazines cover homesteading, gardening, food preservation, off-grid living, and practical self-reliance topics. The main difference is that Backwoods Home Magazine includes a firearms article in every issue and tends to be a bit more hardcore in its approach, while Self-Reliance Magazine stays away from firearms content. Many of our subscribers get both.
Subscription options are offered as print only, digital only, or a print + digital combo.
Print subscribers receive the magazine in their mailbox. Digital subscribers get instant access to downloadable PDFs from their Digital Library. Print + digital subscribers get both. See all options on our subscription page.
Your first issue will take 2-8 weeks to be delivered. For a more pinpoint estimate, give us a call at 541-250-5134.
They ship from our printer in Wisconsin.
We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, check or money order. On occasion we have been known to take silver too. Send physical payments to: PO Box 308, Philomath, OR 97370.
We include the cost of shipping in our subscription price, so what you see during checkout is the total price you’ll pay. For subscriptions there is a $20 shipping cost per year in addition to the subscription price. Book orders vary greatly in price. Find out the exact price by contacting us via phone at 541-250-5134.
If you don’t see your country listed, contact us by email or phone and we’ll work it out.
You can find our writing guidelines and submission process on our Writers Guidelines page. Please see our advertising page for details on how to advertise with us.
The delivery window of 2-8 weeks for a first issue reflects print production and postal variables. Shipping from a printer in Wisconsin places the distribution center in the upper Midwest, which affects transit time to the West Coast and international destinations. The $20 per year shipping cost in addition to the subscription price is explicitly stated for subscriptions, while book orders have variable pricing that requires phone inquiry.
The acceptance of silver as payment on occasion signals a readership that is interested in alternative exchange mechanisms consistent with self-reliance values.
The phone number 541-250-5134 is provided repeatedly for pinpoint delivery estimates, pricing inquiries for book orders, and international subscription arrangements.
Editorial Distinction Between Backwoods Home Magazine and Self-Reliance Magazine
The two titles share subject domains but diverge in tone and content boundaries.
Both magazines cover homesteading, gardening, food preservation, off-grid living, and practical self-reliance topics.
The main difference is that Backwoods Home Magazine includes a firearms article in every issue and tends to be a bit more hardcore in its approach, while Self-Reliance Magazine stays away from firearms content.
Many subscribers get both.
The firearms article in every issue is a defining editorial constant for Backwoods Home Magazine. This creates a content expectation for readers who follow self-reliance practices that include personal defense and hunting. The more hardcore approach is interpreted by readers as a willingness to address more demanding or less conventional homesteading practices.
Self-Reliance Magazine’s avoidance of firearms content creates a parallel track for readers who want the same homesteading and gardening coverage without firearms material. The coexistence of the two titles under Self-Reliance Publications allows the company to serve both segments without diluting either brand.
Content Coverage and Archival Index
This document contains an index of articles from issues 1-138 of Backwoods Home Magazine. It lists the author, title, subject category, subcategory, and issue number for each article. There are over 100 entries covering topics like alternative energy, building, country living, gardening, health, recipes, science, and more. The majority of articles are instructional pieces providing information on various self-sufficient living skills and practices.
The index from issues 1-138 demonstrates a long editorial archive. The presence of author names, titles, subject categories, subcategories, and issue numbers allows researchers and readers to locate specific how-to pieces across decades. Topics like alternative energy, building, country living, gardening, health, recipes, science represent the breadth of self-sufficient living skills. The predominance of instructional pieces reinforces the magazine’s how-to positioning.
The 116 page quarterly format gives each issue substantial page depth. At four issues per year, the annual page volume is approximately 464 pages of original content.
Visual Identity and Cover Art
The magazine’s cover art is a consistent visual signature. The artist is Backwoods Home Magazine’s longtime artist, Don Childers.
On this calm autumn day, even the dog...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER In this cover by Don Childers, an older woman sits on the cabin porch. Her faithful dog stays by her side, keeping watch while she knits. These days, she tends her garden...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER This cover by Backwoods Home Magazine’s longtime artist, Don Childers, features a young girl watching a small herd of cows. In the distance, the orchard is beginning to blossom and a patch...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER Backwoods Home Magazine’s Don Childers, who is currently 86, painted this pastoral scene. The young boy knows that helping his mom transfer starts from her sunken greenhouse will result in delicious, home-grown...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER In this cover by BHM artist Don Childers, a pair of bundled-up children collect acorns from their well-raked lawn. Mom will process the acorns into acorn flour later — and maybe even...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER After a long morning of playing outside under the blue summer sky, a brother and sister run home for lunch, with their dogs running beside them. When Mom calls, the kids know...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER Don Childers painted this farm scene while visiting Dave and Ilene Duffy in Oregon this past fall. Everyone put their two cents in: We need a small child in Grandpa's lap; that...
DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE COVER This issue's cover depicts Don Childers and Dave Duffy playing chess by the warm, crackling fire
The cover descriptions emphasize pastoral, family-centered, and seasonal homestead scenes. The recurring presence of children, animals, gardening, and cabin settings reinforces the magazine’s visual brand of traditional self-reliance. Don Childers’ age of 86 is noted, indicating a long-term artistic relationship with the publication.
The ABOUT THE COVER department provides narrative context for each illustration, linking the visual to practical homestead activities such as knitting, tending gardens, transferring starts from a sunken greenhouse, processing acorns into flour, and collecting from orchards.
Practical Impact for Readers
The magazine’s format and distribution choices shape reader behavior. Quarterly publication creates a rhythm of seasonal planning. Gardening, canning, and livestock articles align with seasonal tasks. Building and off-grid projects are often multi-issue undertakings.
The print subscription model with mailbox delivery is valued by readers who describe opening the mailbox and seeing the latest issue waiting as always a good day. The digital library option provides instant access to downloadable PDFs for readers who need immediate reference.
The availability of free online articles lowers the barrier to entry for new readers and serves as a marketing tool for subscription conversion. The presence of original content versus reprinted material is a recurring value proposition.
The firearms article in every issue signals a commitment to a broader definition of self-reliance that includes personal security and hunting. The hardcore approach differentiates the title from more lifestyle-oriented homesteading magazines.
The $20 per year shipping cost in addition to the subscription price is transparent at checkout. The total price shown during checkout is the total price paid, meaning shipping is bundled in the displayed price but the per-year shipping component is itemized as $20.
The acceptance of checks, money orders, PayPal, major credit cards, and occasionally silver reflects a reader base that may be cash-conscious and interested in barter-adjacent transactions.
The phone support at 541-250-5134 and the PO Box 308, Philomath, OR 97370 mailing address provide direct contact channels. International subscribers who do not see their country listed are invited to contact by email or phone to work out arrangements.
Subscription Options Summary
| Option | Delivery Method | Access Details | | Print only | Mailbox delivery | Magazine shipped from printer in Wisconsin, first issue 2-8 weeks | | Digital only | Digital Library | Instant access to downloadable PDFs | | Print + digital combo | Mailbox and Digital Library | Both print delivery and digital PDF access |
Magazine Comparison
| Feature | Backwoods Home Magazine | Self-Reliance Magazine | | Publication frequency | Quarterly, 4 issues per year | Quarterly | | Page count | 116 pages | Not specified in reference | | Firearms content | Firearms article in every issue | Stays away from firearms content | | Editorial tone | More hardcore approach | Different tone | | Publisher | Self-Reliance Publications | Self-Reliance Publications | | Founder history | Founded 1989 by Dave Duffy | Published by Sam Duffy and Annie Tuttle via Self-Reliance Publications |
Publication Timeline
| Period | Event | | 1989 | Founded by Dave Duffy as how-to homesteading magazine for self-reliant lifestyle | | January 2018 | Dave retired, magazine went digital-only on Amazon Kindle platform | | 2019 | Sam Duffy reopened print edition under Self-Reliance Publications with Annie Tuttle | | 2025 | The Backwoodsman discontinued publication, not affiliated with Backwoods Home Magazine |
The timeline shows continuity despite ownership transition and format changes. The digital-only interlude preserved access during the retirement transition. The reopening of print under family ownership restored the physical product that subscribers associate with authenticity.
Conclusion
Backwoods Home Magazine maintains a free content presence online in the form of free online articles that serve as entry points to the broader subscription product. The free articles exist alongside print and digital subscription options, with print subscribers receiving a 116 page quarterly issue in the mailbox and digital subscribers receiving instant PDF access from a Digital Library.
The magazine’s history from 1989 founding by Dave Duffy through the January 2018 digital-only transition to the 2019 print reopening by Sam Duffy under Self-Reliance Publications with Annie Tuttle demonstrates resilience in a niche market. The editorial commitment to original how-to content on gardening, livestock, canning, building, cooking, and guns, with a firearms article in every issue, defines a hardcore self-reliance stance that distinguishes it from Self-Reliance Magazine, which stays away from firearms content.
Distribution logistics involve shipping from a printer in Wisconsin, a first issue delivery window of 2-8 weeks, a $20 per year shipping cost in addition to subscription price, and payment acceptance via major credit cards, PayPal, check, money order, and occasionally silver to PO Box 308, Philomath, OR 97370. Phone support at 541-250-5134 handles delivery estimates and pricing inquiries.
The archival index of issues 1-138 with over 100 entries across alternative energy, building, country living, gardening, health, recipes, science confirms a decades-long instructional archive. The cover art by Don Childers, who is currently 86, provides a consistent visual identity that reinforces the pastoral, family-centered homestead ethos.
Reader testimony emphasizes the personal impact of the magazine as a naming and community anchor for self-sufficiency interests, the value of original content versus reprinted material, and the emotional significance of print arrival. The availability of free online articles extends that accessibility while preserving subscription revenue for the print and digital products.