Best Bushcraft books

[Tony]

There's a thread about homesteading books that got me thinking about what is the best bushcraft books. I did a search and we've got a few threads on books etc, but i'd like one that is best bushcraft book focused

So, in your opinions what are the best bushcraft books, if you had to grab 5 books, which would they be in order and a little bit to say why... If you've just got one book you really like put that one in...

 

[nigelp]

Great thread. I think that ‘bushcraft’ encompasses so many strands of ‘outdoors’ so will be interesting to see what other folk include; depending I guess on where their own strand goes!

My strand has pulled me towards the natural history side of things.

John Rhyder - two excellent books about UK animal track and sign.

1 - Track and Sign: A Guide to the Field Signs of Mammals and Birds of the UK

Comprehensive and detailed. A home and field guide that could keep you entertained for months!

2 - Animal Tracks Field Guide - companion to above book but out of stock due to a revision coming soon.

I enjoy Johns engaging style of writing and his knowledge of tracks and sign is legendary. The courses he runs are very good too!

I also see he has his ‘bird track’ book is coming next year. On his courses he talked about this publication, and how it would be a very comprehensive guide to birds tracks and sign similar in details to the animal one.

3 - Mors Kochanski - Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival

Classic!

4 - Ray Mears - Outdoor Survival Handbook

Another classic

5 - Geoff Dann - Edible Plants: A Forager's Guide the Plants and Seaweeds of Britain, Ireland and Temperate Europe

 

[TeeDee]

Great thread. I think that ‘bushcraft’ encompasses so many strands of ‘outdoors’ so will be interesting to see what other folk include; depending I guess on where their own strand goes!

My strand has pulled me towards the natural history side of things.

John Rhyder - two excellent books about UK animal track and sign.

1 - Track and Sign: A Guide to the Field Signs of Mammals and Birds of the UK

Comprehensive and detailed. A home and field guide that could keep you entertained for months!

2 - Animal Tracks Field Guide - companion to above book but out of stock due to a revision coming soon.

I enjoy Johns engaging style of writing and his knowledge of tracks and sign is legendary. The courses he runs are very good too!

I also see he has his ‘bird track’ book is coming next year. On his courses he talked about this publication, and how it would be a very comprehensive guide to birds tracks and sign similar in details to the animal one.

3 - Mors Kochanski - Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival

Classic!

4 - Ray Mears - Outdoor Survival Handbook

Another classic

5 - Geoff Dann - Edible Plants: A Forager's Guide the Plants and Seaweeds of Britain, Ireland and Temperate Europe

All good books and like Nigel has mentioned Bushcraft seems to encompass many things.

There was a book ( green cover - circle around Europe ) that was specific to the European climate. I forget the name but I'm sure someone will know it?

 

[Chris]

All good books and like Nigel has mentioned Bushcraft seems to encompass many things.

There was a book ( green cover - circle around Europe ) that was specific to the European climate. I forget the name but I'm sure someone will know it?

Survival Advantage by Andrew Lane

 

[TeeDee]

Survival Advantage by Andrew Lane

Thats the one. Thank you.

 

[nigelp]

Survival Advantage by Andrew Lane

Like the look of that. Never heard of it before.

 

[TeeDee]

Like the look of that. Never heard of it before.

Good comprehensive manual. No colour phots IIRC but very well detailed and plenty of B&W illustrations.

Survival Advantage by Andrew Lane

survival, book, guide, advantage, andrew, lane, field, bush, craft, bushcraft, woods, woodland, prepping, howto,

www.bushgear.co.uk

 

[Broch]

I have a load of books covering topics that fall into 'bushcraft skills' for me - they range from some old scouting books by Baden-Powell, canoe camping, hill walking, foraging, hunting, fishing books ..... the list goes on.

However, some time ago, when buying and reading more modern books by our current 'experts' I realised I'd read it all before - there was nothing new, it was just presented in a different way. So, I started looking back to the stuff I had taken out of libraries as a kid and found that the honest, practical, and most valuable stuff had been written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

So, for me, and the search still goes on, my favourite books are things like:

The Sportsman's Workshop - Warren H Miller
Woodcraft and Camping - Nessmuk
Woodmanship and Woodcraft & Camping - Bernard S. Mason
Make and Do the Woodcraft Way - J.G.Cone (inspirational to me as a kid and everyone should have a copy of this )

Of the modern authors I agree with the above, anything by John Rhyder - honest, down to earth, no commercialism or product placement, just basic good advice without B.S. I particularly like his 'Woodcraft' book - a good range of subjects without trying to cover everything that's been done before.

 

[Kepis]

Very difficult question to answer as i read so many books, but i guess the ones in my collection that get thumbed through the most are;

1. Woodcraft & Camping - Bernard S. Mason
2. Wildwood Wisdom - Ellsworth Jaeger
3. Northern Bushcraft (Bushcraft) - Mors Kochanski
4. Bushcraft - Richard Graves
5. Encyclopedia of Green Woodworking & Green Woodworking Pattern Book- Ray Tabor
6. Anything by Eric Sloane, ie' A Reverence For Wood

Appreciate thats seven, but the ones by Ray Tabor complement one another and i couldn't leave Eric Sloane out.

Then there are so many other books on plants, animals, tracking, foraging, flint knapping, native skills etc that i thumb through on a regular basis from the likes of John Wright, John Rhyder, Geoff Dann, Cody Lundin, Chris Lubkeman, the list is quite long.

 

[Kepis]

Make and Do the Woodcraft Way - J.G.Cone (inspirational to me as a kid and everyone should have a copy of this )

Just ordered a copy, thanks for the info

 

[Broch]

Just ordered a copy, thanks for the info

Oops, I hope it's what you expect

 

[Kepis]

Oops, I hope it's what you expect

Sure it will be, i've always figured if you learn just one thing from a book then its money well spent and at at less than a fiver for a 1963 edition in good condition, i can't really complain.

 

[Woody girl]

Oh heck! I have a whole large bookcase full of bushcraft and homestead crafting and hunting and game type books. Plus I'm on the lookout for yet another bookcase for the pile beside my bed, so I can have a homestead/craft etc bookcase, and a bushcraft one.
They are all my top books. I can't imagine choosing any as my top five. I love them all.
I'm definatly a bookaholic.

 

[MikeLA]

Thats the one. Thank you.

1. Survival Advantage. - That’s my top of the list, recently seen it still sold somewhere. Just read the next posts yep bushgear.

2. No need to die by Eddie McGee - will get anyone interested

3. Food for free Richard Mabey

 

[Tengu]

No Kephart?

 

[Tony]

Would that be your pick then Tengu?

 

[Tengu]

Nessmuk, Kephart (both vols) and Kochanski.

With Maybee for foraging.

 

[Kepis]

Oops, I hope it's what you expect

Book turned up today, its a good read and has already got my brain working, the totems are definite carving projects when i can get some suitable bits of wood.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Tengu]

Ive ordered it too.

 

[CLEM]

Thats the one. Thank you.

Reckon I’ll check that one out myself too