Reviews (1)

A tragic end to a promising young fellow
After recently hearing the tragic news of Rod Ansell's suicidal attack on a police roadbloack in outback WA (horribly enough, claiming the life of innocent police officer Sgt. Glen Huitson before himself dying), I found he'd written this book way back when his life still looked promising.
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Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Juvenile literature    4. Safety    5. Wilderness areas    6. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (12)

The 10 Bushcraft Books
I was fortunate enough to win a copy of Graves' book 'The 10 Bushcraft Books' in 1976. It is in hardcopy and probably covers the same type of content that is included in this other bushcraft book; ropes & cords; huts & thatching; campcraft; food & water; firemaking; knots & lashings; tracks & lures; snares & traps; travel & gear; and, time & direction. It was printed by Hogbin, Poole (Printers) in Sydney, Australia (no printing or copyright dates). FYI, on the dust jacket it gives some background on Graves. He initiated and was the Commanding Officer of 'the Australian Jungle Rescue Detachment, assigned to the Far East American Air Force'. These were 60 specially selected soldiers who 'successfully effected more than 300 rescue missions, most of which were in enemy-held territory, without failure of a mission or loss of a man'. It goes on to say, 'An essential preliminary for rescue was survival, and it was for this purpose that the notes for these books were written. These notes were later revised and prepared for a School of Bushcraft which was conducted for 20 years'. And very accurately states that there 'is nothing quite like them, nor is any collection of bushcraft knowledge under one cover as comprehensive'. The ISBN was/is 0 909824 24. This book may be another option, though probably just as hard to find. Good luck!

Old Faithful
I picked up a copy of Bushcraft in 1983 and it has been my constant companion.As an Instructor at the Marine Corps Jungle Survival School in Okinawa I used its lessons extensively and have never found a better manual of wilderness survival.Later, as an instructor for the National Outdoor Wilderness school, I taught my students some of the skills I learned from Bushcraft.If you can find a copy, buy it!

Bushcraft
I bought this book way back in the mid 70's when I was in High School. I used it for a reference on my "Extreme" camping adventures. I then found it to be even more valuable and usefull while serving in the 82'd Airborne. I "Lent" this out to a friend and it was never returned. I know that info presented in this book has been used by my friend while assigned as a survival instuctor for a very elite unit in the U.S. Military. I would recommend this book to all who wish to have a practical guide to survival and I'm pleased to finally get a copy back in my hands. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Outdoor life    3. Safety measures    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Wilderness areas    6. Wilderness survival    7. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. First Aid    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Safety    6. Wilderness survival    7. Health & Fitness / First Aid    8. Outdoor survival skills   

Subjects:  1. Adventure & Adventurers    2. Adventure and adventurers    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Readers - Chapter Books    8. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Equipment and supplies    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Hiking    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. United States    8. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (6)

Useful, but outdated
This book delivered less than I expected.Its chief flaws are that it is outdated, superficial and poorly organized.It begins with highly detailed advice about basic tools that outdoorsmen should always carry:knives, compasses, etc.This is welcome information, but the author put the cart before the horse by introducing this material first.What was needed was a general discussion of the challenges of wilderness survival and the basic methods needed to overcome it.Without this overview, how can the reader prepare a proper shopping list?And regarding the author's proposed shopping list, few of the specific tools he mentions are still available.So the author's list of compasses and survival knives is nearly useless.The same type of problem is illustrated by the author's strong recommendation that every outdoorsman should carry a "dog rag", because it has so many uses.But this term and the cloth it refers to are now obsolete.In fact, I was unable to find a single reference to "dog rags" when I performed an internet search.There may be a few old timers who still use this term, but that's the point:it's now obsolete!Many other sections of the book also seem outdated or superficial.For example, although the section about snares will help the reader understand their general nature, it doesn't provide enough detail so that he could actually build one that will work properly.Despite these problems, I found this book somewhat helpful.It's short and easy to read, and it provides many useful ideas about basic issues such as finding food and shelter.But the overall impression left by this book is that it is merely an expanded magazine article rather than a thoughtful and thorough discussion of methods that can save a hiker's life during a wilderness emergency.On balance, I'm disappointed that this very good author produced such a light weight book on this important topic.

This book lives up to its title.
Most of the survival books I've read focus on living like an aborigine, which is not what the average backpacker needs.I wanted a book that would tell me what I needed to take in the woods with me to prevent troubles from happening in the first place, and tell me how to get out of trouble if something went wrong.This book is ideal for civlian backpackers and campers who want serious advice about surviving in a real world survival situation.

A poor written attempt at survival (with a fancy hardcover)
Anyone who gave this book 5 stars has no idea what a good book on the subject should contain. This is a poor attempt at written survival manual at it's best. The beginning starts out with the author recommending survival knives. What about if you don't have one? then what? Your survival knife will be there where you don't need it(this is from experience of many). While other books teach you how to use natural resources for cutting tools and shelter, this guy recommends the latest high-tech compasses, navigaton equipment and blah blah... Maybe there's some marketing trick in the survival world that I don't know about. Hard to say but whoever ends up in a survival situation without all the fancy modern tools, best luck to ya! I will say though that it has a decent info on building natural shelters but just about every other author has covered it and done way better. Don't expect to learn alot here. Just the basic stuff that you probably already know. This book should be titled "Practical Camping" and should cost half the money too, even then I'd opt for a refund. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Hiking    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Outdoor Survival Techniques    6. Reference    7. Safety    8. Wilderness survival    9. Personal & public health    10. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    11. Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills   

Subjects:  1. Outdoor life    2. Survival (after airplane accid    3. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. (1804-1806)    2. 19th century    3. Consumer Health    4. Explorers    5. Health aspects    6. Health/Fitness    7. History    8. Lewis and Clark Expedition    9. Outdoor life    10. Safety    11. West (U.S.)    12. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (2)

This is what scout manuals should look like!
I first ran into this book about 10 year ago as a Boy Scout.Its filled with good illustrations of knots, animals and plants.We used the knot making diagrams to build a shelter at the time.It covers many basic and advanced survival techniques including improvised tools and butchering. The main problem with this book is its size.Its just to large to throw in a rucksack for a hike.Its best as a desk reference or as a teaching tool.

SAS Survival for who
The SAS Survival guide is an ok book its size makes a nice travelcompanion but who needs to know some of the info in it.It can give slillycommon sense info such as "If you can see th waves of a Tsunami youare too close."Who doesn't already know that.If you like to lookat pictures and can figure how to make the stuff they show from onlypictures tis is the book for you if not find another one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Handbooks, manuals, etc    2. Nonfiction - General    3. Safety    4. Survival (after airplane accid    5. Survival after airplane accide    6. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.    7. Wilderness survival    8. Non-Classifiable    9. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Dalrymple, Byron W    2. Emergency survival guide    3. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (1)

Survival Scrapbook #1 Shelter
This book is very innovative & fun to look at.Describes many different types, easy to build & unique structures from all over the world that have been used in ancient times to more recent times. Gives you some plans & ideas that are usable. Cool majestic purple graphics & purple ink! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Food    2. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. Food    2. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Health & Daily Living - Safety    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Readers - Chapter Books    8. Safety    9. Wilderness survival    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Health / Safety   

Reviews (1)

Compulsive Reading
In the 1950's Jan meets Harry Little - a jungle adventurer.Having always dreamed of living on a homestead, she accepts his offer of marriage & heads off into the jungles of Mexico with Harry & her daughter Rebecca. Jan is partially blind & although she can make out shapes &shades, her eyesight is bad enough to be registered blind.Unfortunatelyfor Jan this is not her only disability, she is also partially deaf &needs the use of a hearing aid.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Blind-deaf    4. Latin America    5. Little, Jan    6. United States    7. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (5)

One of the best
This is likely one of the best titles on the subject of mental preparation for successfully dealing with criminal threats and behavior. While it was orginally written for those who spend time in the great outdoors, it has direct application to any type of potentially dangerous situation and activity. It's suitable for anyone interested in increasing his/her own personal safety. The title is NOT a self-defense book and doesn't even cover physical skills. However, the title does go into great detail on all aspects of personal safety that should be utilized before a situation turns physically violent. Highly recommended!

May I have another star, please?
On a 1-5 scale, it is a six (6*). Well written
This is a well written book about being safe while hiking, camping, or backpacking.It wisely provides guidance on how to avoid or retreat from potentially bad situations and likewise has a frank but practical discussion on the merits of self defense on the trail.It does not hype the crime that happens on trails and at campgrounds which is good and bad.Good in that it does not try to present the outdoors as a "war zone" but bad in that more stories about bad situations would provide readers with more guidance on how things go wrong and how to avoid bad situations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Outdoor Skills    3. Outdoor recreation    4. Risk-taking (Psychology)    5. Safety measures    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel    8. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Biography & Autobiography - General    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. People & Places - General    7. Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)    8. Skiing - General    9. Snowboarding    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Wilderness survival   

Subjects:  1. Outdoor life    2. Survival (after airplane accid    3. Wilderness survival    4. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

This book is a lifesaver!
I've never been lost in the wilderness, but if I ever am, I know I'll bealive to meet the search party. It's easy reading that covers everythingfrom first aid to plants you can eat. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Wilderness survival   

Reviews (1)

Out-of-date
Mostly out-of-date information, although some is still useful. Even the useful information was difficult to find and not very clearly written. It may be a good source to the most basic of techniques. Better sources are available. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Backpacking    2. Camping    3. Equipment and supplies    4. Outdoor Skills    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Wilderness survival    7. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (3)

Mostly accurate
This book is a translation of the classic survival text written in the 1980s by Xavier Maniquet.It is very comprehensive and is especially strong in advising the reader on how to prepare for a survival situation before he/she has encountered one (e.g. this is one of the few texts that recommends acclimation training before a trip to an arctic region). For the most part a great deal of the information provided is extremely accurate and helpfuldue to the fact it is based on sound scientific principles.Unfortunately there are a few minor issueswhere Mr. Maniquet makes assumptions that are not valid, (e.g. he states "the organs of sharks are not held in place with ligaments...therefore they are sensitive to impacts.") If you honestly believe you can fight off a great white shark with a simple impact to its midsection because it has no ligaments you have obviously never seen one in person.Overall the bulk of the information provided is very accurate and in a pinch could save your life. I especially loved the chapter how drinking saltwater would not necessary prolong your life, but if done correctly couldextend your ability to remain conscious and capable. I agree with the person above....
This book explains in detail all aspects of survival and helps you to understand with real life anecdotes. One of the books that never seems to end. Highly reccomended....it's a small price to pay...

This is a must read if you are a beginner or expert.
This author seperates fiction from facts about survival. He provides captivating real stories about survival situations in all the arenas of the world. What people did right and what they did wrong. Above or below water,desert or desert island, jungle, mountains, snow and ice, look here forexpert advice covering major threats, hostile environments, science andsurvival. The author is a physician and well known author in his nativeFrance, where this book was a bestseller. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Hiking    3. Outdoor Survival Techniques    4. Reference    5. Safety    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Wilderness survival    9. Active outdoor pursuits    10. Personal & public health    11. Travel & holiday guides