[upchuck]

I found the book "Alas Babylon" to be very informative as to how things might go after the electricity dies.

I agree! "Alas Babylon" was written in 1959-1960 or so and some of it is very dated. But much of it still applies today. Author Pat Frank did a masterful job of explaining in painfully realistic words what it will be like.

I'm now reading the book again for the bajillionith time :) Very enjoyable. I highly recommend it:

When the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear holocaust ravaged the United States, it was instant death for tens of millions of people; for survivors, it was a nightmare of hunger, sickness, and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of civilization were stripped away.

But for one small Florida town, spared against all the odds, the struggle was just beginning, as men and women of all ages and races found the courage to join together and push against the darkness.

Amazon link.

FReeper link :)

[Atlas Sneezed]

The best preparedness book I have read is "Patriots: the Coming Collapse" By James Wesley Rawles. A fast paced novel, but filled with factual and useful information. Rawles is working on a non-fiction "Rawles on Relocation" to be released later this year, with more details on where to live, and setting up a sensible home.

http://www.rawles.to/patriots.htm

For additional info and inspiration I also like:
Farnham's Freehold (Heinlein)
Lucifer's Hammer
Boston on Y2k (Boston T. Party)

[Atlas Sneezed]

Another good source is "The Secure Home" by Joel Skousen:
http://www.joelskousen.com/Secure/secure.html