Harlan Hubbard and his wife Anna built a shantyboat on the banks of the Ohio River in 1944, and over the course of several years made their way down the Mississippi. They lived on catfish, produce they grew in gardens along the shores and gleaned from fields and forests, and whatever they could trade for -- often milk, eggs, chickens and bacon in exchange for sacks of fish. They even kept a hive of bees.
Hubbard was a remarkable observer, and his prose is beautifully clean, crisp and original. This classic story of a vanished way of American life was first published in 1953. It is now in reprint by the University of Kentucky Press. I can't believe I had not heard of this book until a few weeks ago, when I googled the subject after seeing the cover of this month's Woodenboat magazine.
Believe me, you will love this book.