As Vremya Novostey writes, this book contains a phrase that, decades later, was turned into a silly joke on Soviet television – the one about rabbits, that they are not only valuable fur. 'Never before has our country been in such a critical situation regarding food supplies,' wrote Claude Goodchild and Alan Thompson without any hint of humor during the war against the Nazis. 'And rabbit meat production is the most economical way to counter the shortage of meat products.'
Of course, in this book, which reproduces the layout of the 1940s and uses original illustrations, one can also see a kind of antique value. And £7 for such an edition today is not too high a price. However, the British press sees the reasons for the popularity of this manual elsewhere. As the Daily Mail notes, if a manual on raising domestic animals helped the British during the hungry days of World War II, why not use its recipes now? After all, this book contains very relevant advice for city residents who, burdened by loans and other financial obligations, are forced to return to 'small forms' of subsistence farming – on balconies, in closets, in backyards.
In particular, as Newsru.com notes, one of the manual's chapters looks very useful, explaining in detail which domestic animals are most valuable as a source of protein and telling how to use food scraps to feed rabbits and chickens. Claude Goodchild and Alan Thompson opened the eyes of British housewives to the fact that leftovers are quite suitable for fattening rabbits and poultry, which can then be served on the table in due time. 'Tea leaves, coffee grounds, bones, skin and other remains of fish, fat, cheese rinds, bread, oatmeal, apple peels, potato peelings' – all of this, according to the authors, should not go to waste in tough times. 'In fact, there are no leftovers from the human table that cannot be used. And do not limit yourself to the leftovers from your own table; ask others to collect them for you,' advised Goodchild and Thompson to enterprising Britons capable of returning to peasant life in individual apartments to ensure their loved ones' survival.
No less important – especially for British society, known for its special attitude to animals – is the book's call to view rabbits solely as a source of meat and skins. The authors urge British housewives not to flinch when it is time to pick up the knife. As a bonus, the manual contains not only a detailed 'photo instruction' on cutting and skinning rabbits, but also tips on how to sew a coat from 40 skins.
Ginny Dean, editor at Penguin, says that recently the original of the old manual on raising chickens and rabbits has been very popular – people were paying considerable sums for the book on online auctions. That is why the publisher decided to reproduce the book. 'We decided that right now, when the UK is in its worst economic situation in decades, is the perfect time to return the book to the reader,' the prescient editor is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.