TO AFFORD REASONABLE PROTECTION FOR FAMILIES, SIMPLY AND ECONOMICALLY, COMMONSENSE APPROACHES TO THE ART OF SECURITY ARE PRESENTED. DIAGRAMS AND STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS ILLUSTRATE HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND OR INSTALL A CHAIN-LINK FENCE AT THE PROPERTY LINE, REQUIRING THE LABOR OF TWO WORKERS FOR A WEEKEND; LOW-COST FLOODLIGHTS FOR THE HOUSE AND GROUNDS; BURGLAR-PROOF DOORWAYS (I..E., INSTALLING A WIDE-ANGLE VIEWER); BASIC LOCKS AND BOLTS TO BAR DOORS; WINDOWS THAT CANNOT BE JIMMIED OR SMASHED; SAFES AND VAULTS; AND WELDED STEEL GRILLES. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARCHITECTURAL IRONWORK, COMBINING BEAUTY AND STRENGTH, SHOW THE PRACTICAL USES OF THIS ANCIENT CRAFT IN THE SECURING OF HOMES. IN THE AREA OF ALARM SYSTEMS, DIAGRAMS SHOW HOW TO BUILD A WARNING SYSTEM IN A SCREW-ON BOX, WHERE TO PUT SMOKE DETECTORS, HOW ELECTRONIC ALARMS WORK, HOW TO SNAKE WIRES THROUGH THE HOUSE, THE ADVANTAGES OF A CENTRAL ALARM SYSTEM, AND HOW TO INSTALL SENSORS, CONTROLS AND SWITCHES. MATERIALS NEEDED IN THESE PROJECTS ARE NOTED, AS WELL AS WHERE TO OBTAIN THEM AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. TO DEFEND A HOME AGAINST FIRE, INSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED ON HOW TO BUILD WALLS THAT RESIST FIRE, HOW TO USE A HAND FIRE EXTINGUISHER, EASY WAYS TO MAKE A HOUSE DIFFICULT TO BURN (I.E., USING FIRE-RETARDANT SOLUTIONS), AND THE USE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF LADDERS THAT AID IN ESCAPING A FIRE. BECAUSE HOUSEHOLD ACCIDENTS KILL 24,000 AMERICANS EACH YEAR, DIRECTIONS ARE PRESENTED ON EASY-TO-BUILD GARDEN FENCES TO MAKE A YARD SAFE, DEFUSING THE DANGERS OF BATHROOMS AND STAIRS, KEEPING KNIVES AND POISONS OUT OF REACH, AND ADAPTING A HOUSE TO THE NEEDS OF THE INFIRM. PICTURE CREDITS, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, AND AN INDEX/GLOSSARY ARE INCLUDED. (WJR)