Is there a manual out there

[stuart f]

Hi all. I may be on a bit of a goose chase with this one, but does anyone know if there is such a book which you would call the ultimate manual on bushcraft/primitive skills,and i mean a manual,a step by step guide if you like.

I already have the usual suspects Nessmuk,Kephart,RM,Larry Dean Olsen,etc.To me after reading these books they appeared as though they were saying what was achievable in the outdoors rather than a, "this is how you do it".i,e flint knapping,bow making,basketry etc,i mean some of these books touch on the subjects but don,t go into them in great detail.

So what do you think,is there such a book or am i going to have to buy a whole load of books on each subject,and then,convert one of the rooms in my house into a library to hold them all :shock: oh that,ll please the wife. :roll:

 

[Adi007]

So what do you think,is there such a book or am i going to have to buy a whole load of books on each subject,and then,convert one of the rooms in my house into a library to hold them all :shock: oh that,ll please the wife. :roll:

You want my plans for a library ... ):

 

[woodrat]

this site is that manual!!!!, if you can't find it here you won't find it elsewhere.

 

[leon-1]

I don't think that there is a definitive manual that covers all aspects. You may be better off looking at works by individuals who are renowned for thier specific skills as they tend to be better at doing the from the ground up type instruction on thier subjects.

 

[RovingArcher]

Like has been said, it would take a library to cover all aspects of Bushcraft step by step. The books I've read about the different adventurers and their various skills, are meant to inspire as well as direct us to a better place within ourselves. They gave me a taste of the sugar, which gave me the incentive to find the how to's of bowmaking and the other primitive skills by doing my own research. Interacting on this and other sites will go far to helping you with many of your questions.

For bowmaking and other parts of primitive archery, there are several books available. The 3 book series called "Traditional Bowyers Bible" is top notch, "Billets to Bows" by Glenn St. Charles, "Hunting the Osage bow" by Dean Torges, "Art of making primitive Bows and Arrows" by D.C. Waldorf and "Making Indian bows and arrows" by Wallentine are just a few that share history, experience and know how of the primitive art of bowmaking, fletching and arrow smithing.

The Peterson series of field guides and other similar types of publications can offer excellent information on the wild plants and their uses for food and medicines. There are books on the different styles of hunting, tanning the skins, flint knapping (highly suggest visiting a master knapper), knifemaking, wilderness medicine, etc.

 

[Buckshot]

Can you imagine how big a book like that would need to be...

I wouldn't want to pack that in a rucsac :yikes:

Cheers

Mark

 

[stuart f]

Oh well, i really new the answer before i put up the post but thought there might be one lurking out there that i,d missed.

Thanks to all for taking the time to confirm what i already suspected.

Adi,looks like i,ll be needing those plans after all. :roll:Now then it,s time to see about getting planning permission for the Bushcraft public library. ):

 

[Ahjno]

Can you imagine how big a book like that would need to be...

I wouldn't want to pack that in a rucsac :yikes:

Cheers

Mark

It will save a lot of weight when you put it on a CD-rom (or 5) But the downside on this is that you'll need a laptop to have a look ... and electricity ... something that's hard to find in the bush (or you have to go really posh, and use solarpower thingies ... hmmm shiny things )
And, as Gary says: carry less by knowing more

There are a lot of people who say the book by Lofty Wiseman is THE bible :roll: ... horses for courses ... but I find IMHO that this is more about keeping yourself alive in some disastreous situation (Tsunami, for example, to keep up with the latest worldnews or a "simple" plain crash) - and not about bushcraft (have to admit that there are some usefull things in it). Others find that it MUST be Mr. Mears' books ...

I don not think that there is a such a book, as Mark says (above) that'll be a big book ... so: keep on reading ): Read every book you can find on the subject. And you'll see when you read about something, there will be some curiosity about a deeper subject.
For example: when reading about flintknapping, maybe you'll find yourself interested in pre-historic men itself; Like social & cultural things thay had, etc. Or the way agriculture developed itself ... and that you won't find in that "Bible".

You can NEVER read to many books!

And I have to agree with Woodrat: use the BCUK forum :super:
A lot of knowledge ready and available for (allmost) every question, and I'm sure that lots of the people will give you any advice or even personal tutoring when out in the woods on a specific subject.
You'll learn faster with personal tutoring, and making errors than by a step-by-step book - although these books are good for some simple things you can easily do by yourself (example making a lean-to vs. knapping a flint axe)

And keep in mind that training is essential - but that you already knew

 

[Squidders]

I did actually get in touch with Haynes about this a while ago... They said this isn't something they would be interested in doing as the market for such a publication would be limited.

Nice idea though.

 

[Hoodoo]

I wouldn't limit myself to books. There are some good videos out there that are worth exploring.

And like everyone says, there is no one book. For instance, part of bushcraft is learning useful plants. Most books on bushcraft have little information on utilizing plants, especially for food. Even most of the edible plants books are poor, as they often do not show how to id the plant when it is not blooming or they omit drawings of what is below the ground.

Take your time, develop your enthusiasm, enjoy the learning process. It never stops no matter how many books you read. And get outdoors.

 

[Schwert]

One book I recently read covered several topics with "how-to" descriptions.

It was:

Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills
The best from the pages of the Bulletin of Primitive Technology

I picked up a copy at my local library, but it is for sale here:

http://www.hollowtop.com/hopsstore_html/bkspt.htm

I enjoyed this and flagged several projects that I want to try. Recommended.

 

[hootchi]

Take your time, develop your enthusiasm, enjoy the learning process. It never stops no matter how many books you read. And get outdoors.

That is some rather pukka advice :biggthump ):

 

[chris chris]

Stuart

In my opinion, books and videos can only teach so much, alot, but not everything.

Even this forum can only teach to a certain point.

Then what?

You need the personal touch, a good tutor.

Someone to provide for you a safe - hands on environment to learn in.
Some people here will not agree with me here, but, in my opinion to progress in your skills to an upper level you need time spent with an experienced/competant teacher, to show the way and point out were mistakes are being made. Everybody needs help at some point.

That's why the schools and instructors out there exist and survive, they provide a required service.

Books are good, but you cannot beat the personal touch and we should never be too proud to place ourselves into the hands of teachers and mentors.

Hope this helps.

Chris :wave:

 

[woodrat]

If you guys would put your heads together and come up with a practical way for us to create a group "lending library" I would be glad to put 200 or so of my books in everyones use, I bet between us all we have a library worth of books. any ideas guys???is there someplace where we could get books transfered,for lack of right term, onto cd's or whatever??.

 

[wingstoo]

There are a lot of people who say the book by Lofty Wiseman is THE bible :roll: ... horses for courses ... but I find IMHO that this is more about keeping yourself alive in some disastreous situation (Tsunami, for example, to keep up with the latest worldnews or a "simple" plain crash) - and not about bushcraft (have to admit that there are some usefull things in it). Others find that it MUST be Mr. Mears' books ...

What a great bloke John "LOFTY" Wiseman is, Ihave just been round to see him at home, current project is a sportster kit car, invited in for a cup of tea and a chat and even managed to get him to sign my copy of his book, don't knock his book though as it is years of personal knowledge and experience, not like some of his modern counterparts, his is the REAL stuff, not just practice in a non-hostile environment.

Lofty's main advice is to have the "mental ability to want to survive", without it you are on to a loser from the start, you can have all the kit and all the training, but without the attitude you won't get anywhere.

Ludlow survivor

 

[anthonyyy]

I think Ray Mears first book is pretty much a manual.

 

[directdrive]

Hello: I do know of a book (actually a 10 volume set) called "The 10 Bushcrafting Books" by Richard Graves. I would be willing to call this the ultimate bushcrafting "books". These are no longer in print. However, you can go to www.christophermolloy.com and find the entire 10 volumes online and download them to disk or print them. Once you get to the website, go to "Outdoor Skills". Once there, click on "10 Bushcraft Books" and you'll have it.....Hope this helps. I'd like to hear what you think of these volumes......

Best, Bruce

 

[Tutchi]

Hello: I do know of a book (actually a 10 volume set) called "The 10 Bushcrafting Books" by Richard Graves. I would be willing to call this the ultimate bushcrafting "books". These are no longer in print. However, you can go to www.christophermolloy.com and find the entire 10 volumes online and download them to disk or print them. Once you get to the website, go to "Outdoor Skills". Once there, click on "10 Bushcraft Books" and you'll have it.....Hope this helps. I'd like to hear what you think of these volumes......

Best, Bruce

Hi Bruce
addy you gave is protected and access denied
Tutchi

 

[nooky]

Hello: I do know of a book (actually a 10 volume set) called "The 10 Bushcrafting Books" by Richard Graves. I would be willing to call this the ultimate bushcrafting "books". These are no longer in print. However, you can go to www.christophermolloy.com and find the entire 10 volumes online and download them to disk or print them. Once you get to the website, go to "Outdoor Skills". Once there, click on "10 Bushcraft Books" and you'll have it.....Hope this helps. I'd like to hear what you think of these volumes......

Best, Bruce

Tutchie I had the same problem but I found another route to the website try this address.
http://tions.net/CA256EA900408BD5/vwWWW/outdoor~03~000
Hope this helps.
Andrew.

 

[Tutchi]

Tutchie I had the same problem but I found another route to the website try this address.
http://tions.net/CA256EA900408BD5/vwWWW/outdoor~03~000
Hope this helps.
Andrew.
Hi Andrew
yes M8 that works A1. Can you bear with me and explain how I go about downloading it to disc? Idiot's Guide please Thank you.
Rgds
Tutchi


P.S. All sorted my thanks to Cronos :You_Rock_