Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Cob building is easy, affordable, comfortable, and long-lasting but doesn't have anything to do with corn cobs. Building cobs consist of earth, sand and straw bricks used for thick, load-bearing walls. Fifty thousand in-use-today cob buildings built in England during the 18th & 19th centuries attest to this building method's practical durability. The Handbook covers all the necessary basics on design, foundatons, floors, windows, roofs, as well as making and using cobs.
Cob Builders Handbook 
You Can Hand-Sculpt Your Own Home: