Canadian - looking for books recommendations!

[Devon8822]

Hey there, I recently have become increasingly interested in bushcraft and I am looking for some good books to help me prepare for an adventure to the Canadian rockies I am planning as well as to use here in Toronto.

First of all, I know nothing about trees and I am having trouble learning things like fire craft and woodcraft because of it. So I am looking for a book or online resource that will teach me the most common trees in Canada. I tried Wikipedia but since it does not say the differences between different trees I cannot learn... I mean a spruce and a cedar look identical to me, how do I tell them apart?

Secondly, I am getting the Peterson Edible Plants of Central North America book. and I also am looking for one that is specific to the rockies in Albert and BC... I found two that look good but I don't know which to choose, so I am hoping that someone with experience with them can help me decide? The two books are:

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West by Gregory L. Tilford and Michael Moore

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies by Linda Kershaw

Thirdly, I am looking for the overall best, most popular, fullest, survival/bushcraft book out there. I have found three that look promising and again cannot decide between them, I will also appreciate if anybody think there is a better one to recommend it. The three books are:

SAS Survival handbook, John Lofty Wiseman

US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76

Bushcraft (Northern Bushcraft) by Mors Kochanski


Thanks!

 

[canadianwildman]

Ive read bushcraft by mors kochaski and its the best in my opinion. By I am from canada too

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi Devon, welcome to the forum,
I'd like to say, slow down a little, you wont learn all you need to know from one book and you won't learn one book by reading it once - its a long journey and it'll take a long time. Start off with little nuggets of information and build on them slowly - if you rush at it, it is likely to become confusing.
As for books, I don't know about the flora and fauna of Canada so I'll defer that to someone else. The books on survival and bushcraft will be very differnet though, the military ones aimed at keeping soldiers alive, while the bushy books are more about living in sympathy with nature - Mors's boook might be better coming from a Canadien author.

Enjoy your trip and let us know how you get on.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[ANDYRAF]

You might also try Down But Not Out written by one of your countrymen for the Canadian Armed Forces, we used it at RAF Goose Bay in Labrador and found very useful. Cheers and welcome.

 

[Devon8822]

Thanks guys, of course the bushcraft/survival book will only be a starter for me, I realize there is lots to read, and you can never stop learning. I am going to get either the SAS one, or the US, one... Can anybody who has read both, compare them? I cannot seem to decide which one to get first. thanks!

 

[Mungo]

Hello Devon,

I also highly recommend Mors Kochanski's Bushcraft... I live in Toronto too.

Cheers,

Mungo

 

[brancho]

I also highly recommend Mors Kochanski's Bushcraft this is a very well written book that others have based thier books on as far as I can tell.

 

[fern]

[FONT=&quot]Hi Devon, You may want to try Open Air Books and Maps 25 Toronto Street, a small side street off King Street East, nearest subway is King and the Tel No. Is 416/3630719. It’s a small shop in a basement but has a massive selection of outdoor related books with some hard to find titles.

It’s a bit of a cluster in there and the owner is not the friendliest Canadian I’ve come across but it’s a great place to look

Best of luck[/FONT]

 

[fern]

I forgot to mention a couple of books that may help you out Up North and Up Northagain by Doug Bennet and Tim Tiner are two good books that cover Ontarios Fauna, Flora and more and a nice tree id book ive seen is Trees of Ontario by Linda Kershaw

Hope this helps