YouTube Channel: Matt Mower
Poet, writer, and filmmaker Sherman Alexie once said, “If one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one’s chances of survival increase with each book one reads.” Never has this been more true than with the eleven books listed below, all written by survivalists and experienced outdoors-men. These books tell one what to pack, what to eat, how to stay warm, and everything else one needs to know should one find civilization crumbling around them.
1. How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier
This 1956 classic has sold hundreds of thousands of copies because, while civilizations grow, evolve, and eventually collapse, survival in the woods is always the same.
Source: Amazon
2. Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen
In another survivalist classic, Olsen talks about how to survive in the wilderness the way Native Americans did – with knowledge of the land and little to no modern technology.
Source: Amazon
3. Primitive Wilderness and Survival Skills by John McPherson and Geri McPherson
The authors promise a remedy for those who have read survival books that “entertain you but fall short of actually teaching you how to accomplish the tasks and skills at hand.”
Source: Amazon
4. SAS Survival Handbook by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman
The third version of this “ultimate” guide includes 100 pages of new material on how to survive using tools ranging from a modern GPS right down to one’s own hands.
Source: Amazon
5. Your Survival by Dr. Bob Arnot
This spiral-bound guide is easy to flip through and talks about what to do before, during, and after a catastrophe in order to survive and avoid infectious diseases such as Ebola.
Source: Amazon
6. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tony Peterson
This book focuses on one important aspect of survival: grub. It teaches one how to recognize about 400 different plants found throughout the U.S. and how to properly consume them.
Source: Amazon
7. Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook by Jeffrey Isaac
In addition to knowing what to eat, one has to know how to treat illnesses and injuries without doctors, hospitals, and modern medicine. Isaac offers detailed instructions on just that.
Source: Amazon
8. 98.6 Degrees by Cody Lundin and Russ Miller
Lundin and Miller use humor and sketches to show one how to keep one’s body temperature stable in order to survive.
Source: Amazon
9. Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag by Creek Stewart
A survival instructor tells one what to put in one’s emergency evacuation kit and why.
Source: Amazon
10. Wilderness Survival by Gregory J. Davenport
Another book by a survival instructor, this gem goes in depth about the author’s five basic survival elements: food and water, health, protection, signaling, and travel.
Source: Amazon
11. The Survival Handbook by DK Publishing
DK Publishing and contributing author Colin Towell talk about staying alive in various climates and under various catastrophic conditions. “This book could save your life,” reads the cover – and it’s true.
Source: Amazon
I think we can all agree that having any one of these books will prove to be super beneficial to our time in the wilderness!
Featured image via UsCrow
