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A Bushcraft Book collection

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the mors dvd's look really interesting, with the exchange rate wind in the uk's favour the whole set looks like a bargain. i cant imagine how much that chap must know...how great would it be for him to come to the uk to do a lecture tour!?

...seems such a shame that you're held up with your book when the bones of it are there...good luck with that.
all the best
 
hammock monkey said:
the mors dvd's look really interesting, with the exchange rate wind in the uk's favour the whole set looks like a bargain. i cant imagine how much that chap must know...how great would it be for him to come to the uk to do a lecture tour!?
Click to expand...

he came to the UK and gave workshops and talks at last years BCUK Bushmoot, he'll be here again for the 2008 Bushmoot
 
torjusg said:
Stuart

Has Mors stopped running courses? If he still runs them, do you know how much they cost?

Regards
Click to expand...

Check out www.karamat.com; He runs courses and sells his merchandise from there. You're looking at nearly $1000CA for a one week course; I'm seriously considering having a go at his summer course this year if I can manage the time away from my desk.
 
thanks Tim, Very useful.

Here's a useful resource called LibraryThing in which you can log all your books and give them tags. It's a good way to get ideas for related books since it works differently from Amazon. Guess who has the largest number of Bushcraft books so far ;)
 
Hi
Can't you give a star rating let say one to five stars for the books in your list.
Maybe a good indication for some if the want to buy the books listed.

Dennis
 
ddokkum said:
Hi
Can't you give a star rating let say one to five stars for the books in your list.
Maybe a good indication for some if the want to buy the books listed.

Dennis
Click to expand...

its not as easy as it seems at first (I did try) many books are only good if you have a particular interest in their narrow subject matter, if you do they are superb if not they are boring. Which makes star rating them fairly very tricky.

If you want information on any particular book though let me know and i'll do my best to answer your questions, thats what the list is for
 
a few new ones for the list:

Better ways of pathfinding - Robert S. Owendoff

Drown-proofing, a new survival technique that can keep you afloat indefinitely - Fred lanoue

Jungle travel & survival - John walden


I found the drown-proofing book on the shelf of a second hand bookshop in Zambia, when i opened it I discovered that it was originally from a library not far from my house in the UK, it had last been checked out in 1969


I cant edit the original list anymore, something to do with the new site setup I think, so here is the complete updated list:


Title - Author


Northern Bushcraft - Mors kochanski
Naked into the wilderness - John & geri Mcpherson
Naked into the wilderness 2 - John & Geri McPhearson
New way of the wilderness - Calvin Rutstrum
Arctic Manual - Vilhjalmur Stefanson
The best of woodsmoke - Richard L. Jamison
Primitive outdoor skills - Richard L Jamison
Woodsmoke - Richard & Linda Jamison
Bushcraft - Richard Graves
Camping and woodcraft - Horace Kephart
Earth Knack - Bart & Robin Blankenship
Outdoor survival skills - Larry Dean Olsen
Shelters shacks and shanties - D.C. Beard
wildwood wisdom - Ellsworth Jaeger
scouting for boys first edition - Baden Powell
the poachers handbook - Ian Niall
The art of Tracking, The origin of science - Louis Liebenberg
The traditional bowers bible - numerous authors
The nature and subsequent uses of flint - John W. Lord
Life at the extremes the science of survival - Frances Ashcroft
Deep Survival - Laurence Gonzales
Performing in extreme environments - Lawrence E. Armstrong
Mountainman crafts and skills - David Montgomery
98.6 Degrees the art of keeping your *** alive - cody lundin
Survival advantage - Andrew Lane
How to survive on land and sea - US naval institute press
The Wilderness Route finder - Calvin Rutstrum
Home manufacture of Furs and Skins - A.B. Farnham
Home tanning and leather making guide - A.B Farnham
Deadfalls and snares - A.R Harding
Poachers and poaching - John Watson
The Sling for sport and survival - Cliff Savage
The Trappers Bible - Dale martin
into the primitive - Dale martin
Animal Traps and Trapping - James A. Bateman
Culpepers herbal remedies - Nicholas Culpeper
finding your way without a map or compass - Harrold Gatty
Participating in Nature - Thomas J. Elpel
Indian Fishing - Hilary Stewart
Wound Management - Jill A. David
Expedition Medicine - The Royal Geographical society
Where their is no doctor - David Werner
Sahara overland - Chris Scott
Expedition Guide - Tom Sheppard
The Ultimate desert Handbook - Mark Johnson
Recipes for roughing it easy - Dian Thomas
Survive the savage sea - Dougal Robertson
how to **** in the woods - Kathleen Meyer
Living off nature - Judy Urquhart
The survival handbook - Raymond mears
Essential Bushcraft - Ray Mears
Outdoors survival handbook - Ray Mears
How to survive in the woods - Bradford angier
Food for free - Richard Mabey
A cook on the wild side - Hugh fearnley-whittingstall
No need to Die - Eddie McGee
Knife Making - Bo Bergman
Search and Rescue Survival Training AF Reg 64-4 - US department of the air force
The Practical Mushroom encyclopaedia - peter jorden & steve wheeler
Primitive Technology - Erret Callahan
The complete book of self sufficiency - John Seymour
Botany in a day - Thomas J. Elpel
Survival arts of the primitive Paiutes - Margaret M. Wheat
Survival skills of native California - Paul D. Cambell
Primitive technology, a book of earth skills - society for primitive technology
Primitive technology 2, Ancestral Skills - society for primitive technology
The ultimate encyclopedia of Knots and rope work - Geoffry Budworth
The S.A.S. survival hand book - John Wisman
Camplife in the woods and the tricks of trapping - W. Hamilton Gibson
woodsmanship - Bernard S. Mason
The axe Manual - Peter Mclaren
Nutrition in medicine - Simon P. Allison
Experiments on Knife sharpening - Department of materials science and engineering Iowa state university
The essentials of archery - L.E. Stemmler
Basic Blacksmithing - David Harries and Bernhard Heer
The Art of Travel - Francis Galton
Extreme survival - Dr Kenneth Kamler
Complete book of survival - Eddie McGee
Animals, tracks, trails and signs - R. Brown, M. Lawrence and J. pope
Winter wise - Montague Alford
The foraging spectrum - Robert L. Kelly
The Bushmans handbook - H. A. Lindsay
The Hunting peoples - Carleton S. Coon
Wound managment - Jill A. David
Medicine for Mountianeering and other wilderness activities - James A. Wilkerson
Pioneering projects - John Thurman
Army manual of Hygiene and Sanitation 1934 - MoD
Living off the land, a manual of bushcraft - Salt (Melbourne, Vic.)
Down but not out - Royal Canadian air force Survival training School
Outdoor saftey and survival - British Columbia outdoor recreation division
Survival Psychology - John Leach
Adrift - Steven Callahan
How to survive in the bush, on the coast, in the mountains of New Zealand – Lt B. Hildrith RNAF
Roughing it easy – Dian Thomas
Roughing it easy 2 - Dian Thomas
Inner navigation – Erik Jonsson
How to stay alive in the woods – Bradford Angier
The complete snow campers guide – Raymond Bridge
The wilderness handbook – Paul Petzoldt
Survive – Clay Blair, Jr.
Staying Alive – Maurice and Maralyn Bailey
Country Woodcraft - Drew Langsner
Bush Arts – Mors Kochanski
Wilderness canoeing and camping – Cliff Jacobson
The Nature doctor – Dr. H. C. A. Vogel
Rogers Herbal Manual – Robert Dale Rogers
The Fungal Pharmacy – Robert Rogers
On Your own in the Wilderness – Colonel Townsend Whelen
The Art of Survival – Cord Christian Troebst
Being Your own Wilderness Doctor – Dr. E. Russel Kodet
SkyGuide – Mark R. Chartrand
The Call of the Birds – Charles S. Bayne
Better ways of pathfinding - Robert S. Owendoff
Drown-proofing, a new survival technique that can keep you afloat indefinitely - Fred lanoue
Jungle travel & survival - John walden



pamphlets, booklets & magazines:

pioneering knots and lashings - Scout Troop 24
Sea survival - Ministry of defence
Arctic survival - Ministry of defence
Jungle Survival - Ministry of Defence
Basic wilderness survival in cold lacking snow - Mors Kochanski
The compass - Mors Kochanski
The two kilogram survival field kit manual - Mors Kochanski
Basic wilderness survival in deep snow - Mors Kochanski
Knife sharpening - Mors Kochanski
Top seven Bush Knots and the Use of the windlass - Mors Kochanski
tools of survival and survival training - Mors Kochanski
Basic netting - Mors Kochanski
Map use - Mors Kochanski
21 native edible plants - Mors Kochanski
the inuit snow house - Mors Kochanski
Survival kit ideas - Mors Kochanski
The simple cattail doll - Mors Kochanski
Wilderness Steam Bath - Mors Kochanski
When you meet a Black Bear - Mors Kochanski
The Northan Night Sky - Mors Kochanski
Basic weather Knowledge - Mors Kochaski
Winter Survival in the backcountry - unknown
Winter Survival - BC Hydro
fox fire Numerous issues - numerous
Alberta Wilderness Arts and Recreation 1-16

DVDs and VHS

Sticks as Tools and Implements – Mors Kochanski
Blades: Sharpening and Safe use – Mors Kochanski
Bush Knots – Mors Kochanski
Clothing and Sleeping Bags – Mors Kochanski
A Plant walk with Mors Kochanski Volumes 1 to 7 + master (8 DVD collection) – Mors Kochanski

3 Days at the River with nothing but our bare hands - Thomas J. Elpel
Mountain Meadows camping with almost nothing but the dog - Thomas J. Elpel
Mountain Lakes a survival fishing trip - Thomas J. Elpel

SAS Survival Techniques (two VHS tapes) - John Wiseman


as before if you have any questions about a specific title let me know
 
Expedition Medicine from the RGS (Royal Geographical Society) can be downloaded in
parts (as PDFs) from their website and it is fascinating reading.

This is quite a long post, with all the chapters and some links included but you can get
all of this information from the main page, nothing that the three subsections of the book
are on the left with individual chapters within that section appearing on the right hand side.
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Publications/EAC+publications/Expedition+medicine/Expedition+Medicine.htm


All chapters listed below are available to download as individual PDFs from the right
hand side of the page. You might have to scroll to the right.

Pre-expedition planning
Introduction and contents
1 What is expedition medicine
2 Vaccinations
3 Medical kits
4 First aid training
5 Legal liability
6 Medical insurance
7 Pre-existing medical conditions
8 Risk assessment and crisis management
A1 Medical questionnaire
A2 Crisis management plan
A3 Medical assessment questionnaire
A4 Refs and further reading
A5 Useful addresses
A6 Glossary

Field medicine
9 Role of medic
10 Camp hygiene - "Base camp hygiene and health"
11 Water purification
12 Assessment of the injured or ill
13 First aid - "First aid and management of minor injuries"
14 Management of the seriously injured
15 Remote medical emergencies
16 Casualty evac
17 Medical aspects of survival
18 Common infections
19 Malaria and other tropical diseases
20 Venomous and poisonous animals
21 Psychological problems
22 Expedition dentisty

Medical problems of environmental extremes
23 Desert expeditions
24 Tropical forest expeditions
“Jungle” to many people evokes an image of an unbearably hot suburb of hell
where unfortunate travellers suffer endless torment from clouds of disease-carrying
bugs, while the trees, dripping with poisonous snakes, serve only as cover for
vicious animals waiting to pounce.
25 Polar expeditions
26 High-altitude and mountaineering expeditions
27 Underwater expeditions
28 Caving expeditions
29 Canoe, kayak and raft expeditions

Jo
 
In a similar vein I've typed up a chunk of my personal library and written some reviews and scores for them.

Bushcraft Books Review

I’ve given a link to the book where possible, followed by a short review and a rating from * to*****
The ratings are as follows
* = Not worth buying or reading, Books by Hugh McManners
** = Mostly derivative, not original
***= Worth a read but only buy if your keen on building a library
****= A really good book,
*****= An excellent book or a core bushcraft text

I’m also going to define the books by topic
- Primitive Skills
- General Bushcraft
- Classic
- Survival


Bushcraft - Mors Kochanski General Bushcraft *****
This book is the essential bushcraft book. It contains advice basic enough for beginners with information that is useful to all. Most of the information is also unique to this book. This is one of the must have books.

Outdoor Survival Skills - Larry Dean Olsen Primitive Skills *****
Not really a survival manual but this is the key text as far as primitive skills go. It is the primitive equivalent of Kochanski’s bushcraft and a Must have book.

Woodcraft - Nessmuk Classic ****
One of the most quoted books and a delight to read. This is perhaps one of the first true bushcraft books and is out of copyright so also available on the net here.

Wildwood Wisdom - Ellsworth Jaeger Classic ****
A personal favourite with many instructional line drawings and ideas for projects. Simple and straightforward and the influence of Nessmuk and Kephart is quite obvious.

Camping and Woodcraft - Horace Kephart Classic ****
This is one of the highest selling outdoors books of all time and has a wealth of information. It is not the easiest book to find what you want in and does not give clear projects. It is however a true handbook for old time bushcraft.

Gem SAS Survival Guide - John “Lofty” Wiseman Survival *****
The first survival book many of us read and still a classic. It is the original and best of the survival books published and comes in a handy pocket size format. If you want a survival book, get this one.

Scouting for Boys - Robert Baden-Powell Classic ****
A book which is one of the most important ever written and has had great cultural impact. A lot of the camping information is repeated or taken from elsewhere and the emphasis on character building and Empire is a little behind the times. Not a great bushcraft book but a great book.

Bushcraft: An Inspirational Guide - Ray Mears Bushcraft ***
A fine looking book but more of a coffee table tome than an instructional manual. It looks lovely but you are not going to learn as much from it as other books.

Participating in Nature - Thomas J. Elpel Primitive Skills ***
Not a bad book and a reasonable introduction into primitive skills. The author spends a lot of time advertising his other wares and talking politics. Some really good points on less covered skills such as felting though

Song of the Paddle - Bill Mason Bushcraft ***
Perhaps the definitive canoe camping book. If you are interested in that then it is a five star book, if not then it is still a good read with some interesting sections on tents and stoves. It has inspired a website here.

Camping for Boys -H.W. Gibson Classic **
Not a bad book but when compared to Dan Beard or Baden-Powell it feels a little dull. Maybe interesting if you’re a scout master otherwise not.

Primitive Technology II: Ancestral Skills Primitive Skills ****
Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills Primitive Skills ****
A pair of excellent books with many ideas for projects and skills. Truly inspirational but not as wide interest as the 5 star books.

Practicing Primitive- Steven M. Watts Primitive Skills ***
A very good book but quite a lot of the information is familiar from the Primitive Technology books and the appeal is not that broad. The section on preparing for a primitive skills expedition is very good.

The Best of Wood smoke: A Manual Bushcraft **
A collection of articles that doesn’t really flow very well. Some of it is primitive and some of it not. Not a bad book but no real focus.
Mountainman Crafts and Skills- David Montgomery Classic **
A tutorial book for 18th and 19th century re-enacting in America. The tutorials are brief though and only with line drawings. A lot of ideas but it would be hard to follow the projects without further reading.

Build the Perfect Survival Kit- John D. McCann Survival ****
The only real book of its type and the ultimate resource if you want to build a survival kit.

The Outdoor Survival Handbook- Ray Mears Bushcraft *****
Maybe Ray’s best book? Easy to follow projects and instructions with an emphasis on doing not kit. A proper handbook that has given me lots of ideas. Some bits very clearly inspired by Kochanski. The third must-have book.

Camp Cookery- Horace Kephart Classic **
A very large amount of overlap with his woodcraft and camping but still a good book to refer to.

Earth Knack - Bart and Robin Blankenship Primitive Skills ***
Quite a basic book but easy to read and well organised. One for the library rather than a key book as there are better books out there.

Prehistoric Cooking - Jacqui Wood Primitive Skills ****
A really well researched and detailed book going through types of food, cooking methods and recipes from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age. Bushcraft cooking at its best.

Camp Lore and Woodcraft - Dan Beard Classic ***
This book is roughly the American equivalent of Scouting for Boys but has more information on camping and bushcraft skills than it. There is less politics but a large section of the book is devoted to horses.

The Dangerous Book for Boys - Conn and Hal Iggulden Classic **
A great book but not a true bushcraft book but a lot of ideas for stimulating interest in traditional scout stlye activities. The sort of book you’ll probably get given as a present!

Snow Walker’s Companion- Garrett & Alexandra Conover Bushcraft ****
A thorough guide to getting out on snow shoes in the real cold. It is wonderful if you are going to be planning a snowy winter trip but too as it is specific not much use otherwise.

I can't get it to take the formatting from Works to here so all the links have gone missing!
 
A few I'd add, whic are probably in Stuarts' list are Richard Graves Bushcraft book and Rays' Survival handbook. The graves book is available for viewing on the web:

http://tions.net/CA256EA900408BD5/vwWWW/outdoor~03~000

The content is slightly let down by the drawings, although this is an old book. Some of them are indecipherable IMO. Try figuring out the drawings of the constellations! The info is sound though, and some of the techniques are fantastic.

Ray's green hardback book, the expensive one, seems to be dropping in price at the moment. No idea why, but it should make it available for people to buy without selling a kidney. And what a read. The info is sound, the anecdotes are brilliant and some of the photos are fantastic. I really think he wrote his best book from the start, everything else has been appendices for me. I liked the book where he sets out tasks for the different seasons though.

I also read the last of the coureurs de bois, somebody here mentioned it a long time back so I found a copy and read it. An amazing read, but it is stories of a guy living in the backwoods of Canada, hunting moose with a bow and smoking pipes. It takes you to another place, great escapism book.
 
Just updating this list after receiving a few new additions over the Christmas holiday

Survival, how to prevail in hostile enviroments - Xavier Maniguet

Passport to Survival - Esther Dickey

Camplore and Woodcraft - Daniel Beard

the Original list on page one of this thread has edited to include these additions
 
Not strictly a bushcraft book, but a wilderness book and truly a book to bring a tear to a glass eye.

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.

I've rarely heard anone speak of this book and it is an altime favourite of mine along side Alone In the Wilderness by Mike Tomkie about how he went to Canada and built a cabin etc etc... now poor old Mike is sadly forgotten by most people, he apparently is still alive in poverty somewhere down south after being kicked out of a forest in the borders by the FC. If anyone is the last UK wilderness man it's him...
 
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