Influential texts from your childhood?

[y0dsa]

A quick search of this site delivers loads of discussion and references to books about bushcraft, woodlore, survival, ancient technology etc. but I was wondering what might be the most influential early texts folk here might have read? What inspired your interest or fired your imagination way back when?

The following spring to my mind (without apologies):

A Kestrel for a Knave, by Barry Hines
Ishi, the last of his tribe, by T. Kroeber
Stig of the Dump, by Clive King
My side of the mountain, by Jean Craighead George

Scratching the head a bit more reveals:

The lost world of the Kalahari, by Laurens Van Der Post
The Jungle Books, by Rudyard Kipling

and there's one lurking in there about poaching and/or gamekeeping, possibly The Banville Diaries: Journals of a Norfolk Gamekeeper, 1822-45, by Larry Banville.

What were your early influential texts?

 

[Toddy]

The Iliad, Kontiki, Reader's Digest Atlas of the World and Atlas of the Seas, Cooke's voyages, Swiss Family Robinson, Girl of the Limberlost, Kipling, and like any other good Scottish girl of my generation I got given the missionary biographies of James Chalmers, David Livingstone, Mary Slessor and the like. Not holier than thou ones, just the really busy ones.
It was basically a, "There's nothing you can't do if you put your mind and some effort to it." classical presbyterian upbringing after that lot, nothing seems impossible

cheers,
Toddy

 

[y0dsa]

Oh yea, Kontiki! and Ra, and Robinson Crusoe....

 

[Tengu]

Uttermost part of the world by E lucas Bridges

but several of those mentioned too

 

[firebreather]

Stig of the dump.
Kes
lord of the rings
the hobbit
just to name the most obvious.I have been an avid reader since childhood and would read almost anything (still do).

Greg

 

[spamel]

The Griffin Pirate stories. The Red Pirate, Roderick the Red, was my favourite. The art work was mind blowing and the stories were pretty cool too. I like nothing better than to look at pictures of a tall ship with all sails billowing against a blue sky and a choppy green sea. I've looked into getting them for my kids, but they are out of print and cost a fortune. It's been a while since I last looked though, so imay go and take another browse!

 

[John Fenna]

Coral Island
Stig of the Dump
Robinson Crusoe
Enid Blyton - story of kids who ran away to an island - title?
Swallows and Amazons
etc etc

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Arthur Ransome with the Swallows and Amazons books and the Little House on the Prairie books. I revisited them a few years back once my kids were old enough. They were still good and my kids absolutely loved them!

 

[British Red]

Hey - Swallows & Amazons, Famous Five, all the Tolkein of course, most Arthurian stuff (from Mallory to White) anything with kids and andventures - or adults and adventures

If anyone wants a bit of fun - try "Running Blind" by Desmond Bagley - guns, Landrovers, Iceland, camping, knives all good fun

Rogue Male is a classic for any outdoorsman (listened to the Radio 4 original book at bedtime version then bought the book)

Ohh don't get me started....off to buy my side of the mountain now

Red

 

[EdS]

Ladybird Story of the Indians of the Western Plains

 

[British Red]

Enid Blyton - story of kids who ran away to an island - title?

etc etc

Secret Island!

 

[JohnC]

Secret Mountain
Tolkein
Swallows and amazons
Willlard Price adventure series

 

[British Red]

Not forgetting the well located "Children of the New Forest"

 

[spamel]

Just had a look at the Pirate books, it seems they are currently being re-released but drawn in a sickly happy cartoon stylee instead of the fantastic artwork that was in the original editions. How sad.

 

[Tengu]

Nobody mentioned Bevis

I liked Swallows and amazons too, but the sequels were pretty dull.

Apart from Secret Water which is set in the Naze

 

[y0dsa]

Or Brendon Chase...

 

[tomtom]

Swiss Family Robinson.
Swallows and Amazons.
Gerald Durrell (various, but mostly I liked My Family and Other Animals)
Riki Tiki Tavi
The Hobbit & LOTR.

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of them right now.

 

[Burnt Ash]

Many of those already mentioned, but also Jock of the Bushveld, by Sir Percy FitzPatrick. I was born in South Africa and know the places mentioned. The author was urged to write the book -originally, bedtime stories for his children of his experiences as a young man- by no less than Rudyard Kipling.

Burnt Ash

 

[tomtom]

Many of those already mentioned, but also Jock of the Bushveld, by Sir Percy FitzPatrick. I was born in South Africa and know the places mentioned. The author was urged to write the book -originally, bedtime stories for his children of his experiences as a young man- by no less than Rudyard Kipling.

Burnt Ash

Burnt Ash, I heard a radio show about that book a while ago, it was a real shame they gave away the ending, but still it sounded like an excellent book.and really. I really wanted to read it but promptly forgot the title and name of the author.

Thank you so much for refreshing my memory, I shall seek out a copy!

 

[Shewie]

One of the first books that really stuck with me was about some magical creatures that lived in the woods, I can`t for the life of me remember what it was called but one of the main characters was called Moonface. Any ideas ???

My first influential bushcraft book would have been loftys` handbook when i was about 11 years old.


Rich