Far too many books on gardening techniques and specifically straw bale gardening contain far too much mystique and over complication as well as a healthy dose of author-ego. Some even claim to have invented the technique! It is not a technique. It is planting stuff in a straw bale and keeping it watered. The whole concept of SBG or more specifically the growing of things in straw is a very ancient one so any claims by people still living that they invented SPG are grossly exaggerated. What the author has attempted in this book is to bring the whole process down to what it is - a very simple and straightforward method of using straw to propagate and grow fruit and vegetables. It is written very simply starting with a little bit of history and science and then travelling through the whole process from buying or making a bail all the way through to harvesting produce. It is the sort of book that can be absorbed in a single reading and because of its brevity it is very handy to retain as an aide memoir to one's gardening efforts. Towards the end, there is a short section on what to do with all the produce once you have grown it and everything is expressed in plain straightforward language without a single hint of gardeners' ego apparent! Whether you are a novice or whether you have already had an attempt at SBG, there is little doubt that you will find this a very useful and comprehensive little volume.