The first post in this thread brought to mind a day I spent with an old guy in Michigan one time. We drove past the township cemetery and he slowed down. He pointed out the window and said, "See that? There's more information buried out there than you could print in a whole set of encyclopedias." And, he was right. If every man buried there could have downloaded somehow all the "real information" he carried around, from shoeing horses to making cheese and sewing shoes and raising children.......man, that would be a book.
Best of luck with your project. I'm currently interviewing former Marines about their Basic experiences and their (beloved??) D.I.s for a book. And GETTING the info, and ORGANIZING the info, and finally WRITING the info is a big job.
piper