What books to buy?

scottisha5

Maker
Nov 14, 2009
259
86
Motherwell, Scotland, UK
Hi all,

Tried the search button looking for the best books to buy about bushcraft and outdoor living in the UK but came back with some error.

Seems to be lots on surviving being shipwrecked, avalanches, hurricanes but what about something for us UK dwellers?

So long and short is what books would you reccommend and where from?

Many thanks in advance :)

John R
scottisha5
Motherwell
 

gsfgaz

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 19, 2009
2,763
0
Hamilton... scotland
Hi all,

Tried the search button looking for the best books to buy about bushcraft and outdoor living in the UK but came back with some error.

Seems to be lots on surviving being shipwrecked, avalanches, hurricanes but what about something for us UK dwellers?

So long and short is what books would you reccommend and where from?

Many thanks in advance :)

John R
scottisha5
Motherwell
guy grieve-- call of the wild ... great book m8
 

crazydave

Settler
Aug 25, 2006
858
1
55
Gloucester
just had it posted through as a xmas present for her indoors

Bear grylls new book!

living wild - 'the ultimate guide to scouting and fieldcraft'

it might be classed as cashing in on his new position but I cant blame him and this for the money is a pretty good book, I decided to give one to her indoors for xmas as she shuns survival books unless we're doing something specific when she flags all the pages to read later then leaves the book behind so I have to teach it instead

its in a good simple format with diagrams and pictures covering kit, camping and everything you'ld expect in reasonable manual. for content and ease of reading so far I'd place it over bushcraft from 6 years ago or whenever it came out. if anything its a cross between bushcraft and the lofty book.

its hardback and over an inch thick so not really packable till I imagine a soft cover comes out next year but worth recomending if you have anything to do with kids or you want to expand your library as its certainly better than the usual. in fact thinking about it it reminds me very much on the big green scout handbook we used to get 'given' 30 odd years ago as it has tips on training and fitness as well as footcare and first aid.

definately a good beginners book as its well laid out.
 

clcuckow

Settler
Oct 17, 2003
795
1
Merseyside, Cheshire
Hi all,

Tried the search button looking for the best books to buy about bushcraft and outdoor living in the UK but came back with some error.

Seems to be lots on surviving being shipwrecked, avalanches, hurricanes but what about something for us UK dwellers?

So long and short is what books would you reccommend and where from?

Many thanks in advance :)

John R
scottisha5
Motherwell

Its out or print now but sometimes turn up in charity/second hand book shops but Ray Mears (although he way Raymond back then) first book "The Survival Handbook - A Practical Guide to Woodcraft and Woodlore" is hard to beat.

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Another Classic isBushcraft bythe guru Mors Kochanski which it availible everywhere. It Canadain based but still good for the UK and is very good on axe work if you fancy being the next star on Axe Men or Heli - Loggers ;-)

I rate them both because both the practical and craft side of Bushcraft.
 

scottisha5

Maker
Nov 14, 2009
259
86
Motherwell, Scotland, UK
Thanks Dave, Gaz and Kow,

Ive ordered a cpl of books after your recommendations.

Ive spent weeks looking and got so P'd off.

Thanks again and Im luvin the forum.

John
Scottisha5
Motherwell
 
Nov 18, 2008
5
0
Manitoba, Canada
I had a library at home of over 5,000 volumes that was destroyed in a fire and I've been able to replace to date some 2,000+ volumes...Outdoors almost entirely, hunting, fishing, guns, camping etc.

I also belong to a Sportsman's Club (183 members) that have compiled a data base of all the volumes of books, VHS tapes and DVD discs in our libraries and broken down to Category & Sub, Subject & Sub and of course Author and Title, ISBN, publisher, Edition and date, type (pocket, hard. trade edition), dust jacket and in whose library(s) it resides...There is over 14,000 titles in books, and a 1,000 each of VHS and DVD training/how-to tapes and movies---

It's strange to see how many of certain titles appear in almost every one's shelves and you can almost tell the age of the owners by the titles...

Our Bushcraft, Camping/Backpacking, Canoe/Kayak, Survival, SERE, Tracking, Trapping, Medical even a series of Australian Survival books is about 600 volumes in length and if you wish, I'd be more then happy to post it here for your edification...

Granted they are geared 95% to North America and 85% of that to Canada or the Northern USA and Alaska but the knowledge is still there and canoes work the same and camps are set up nearly the same in Norway as in Ontario...Biggest differences lies in the type of flora and fauna encountered--like edible plants that aren't available outside of specific regions...

+1 for Ray Mears
 

crazydave

Settler
Aug 25, 2006
858
1
55
Gloucester
Reg mires thats the one who looks like benny hill isnt it?

and not to forget perry mcgees rework of his dads book which is probably worth a look when it comes out.
 

scottisha5

Maker
Nov 14, 2009
259
86
Motherwell, Scotland, UK
Hi all :)

Thanks for more info. Seekher yes would be happy to browse what you have. Muddyboots your recommendation looks like a good read too. As for your post Crazydave well the name says it all lol. Is it reg Mires thats friends with Bare Fryingpan?

Big smiles and thatks again to all that responded, Im waiting now for Amazon to get despatching.

John

ScottishA5
Motherwell
 

Shewie

Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
26
49
Yorkshire
Rays Outdoor Survival Handbook is a must, covers shelter building, foraging, tracking, firecraft, knife work etc etc. It goes by season as well so it's really useful to pick up and see what's happening.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-Survival-Handbook-Resources-Navigation/dp/0091878861

Hi Bushcraft - An Inspirational guide ..... is good as well, if you've seen the series then you'll know what to expect.

Definitely get the Outdoor one though, it comes in a few different prints I think but the contents are pretty much the same.

hth
 

superc0ntra

Nomad
Sep 15, 2008
333
3
Sweden
Wiseman's book is good. Also Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills & Wilderness Survival by Mors Kochanski is an excellent resource although more focusing on bushcraft
 

jenks

Member
Aug 29, 2004
18
0
county durham
Survival Advantage by Andrew Lane is a good one. It's A5, softback, covers all survival situations you'll encounter in the UK and NW Europe. Good colour plates of fungi, trees, seaweed etc. It was first published in the '90s so it may have been updated since. I remember seeing Andrew Lane on BBC's Tracks about 10 years ago.
 

JDO330

Nomad
Nov 27, 2007
334
1
Stevenage, Herts.
Rays Outdoor Survival Handbook is a must, covers shelter building, foraging, tracking, firecraft, knife work etc etc. It goes by season as well so it's really useful to pick up and see what's happening.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-Survival-Handbook-Resources-Navigation/dp/0091878861

Hi Bushcraft - An Inspirational guide ..... is good as well, if you've seen the series then you'll know what to expect.

Definitely get the Outdoor one though, it comes in a few different prints I think but the contents are pretty much the same.

hth

Defo plus 1 for this, its a brilliant read in my opinion and well worth the money. I refer to it over & over again...

ATB, Jon.
 

helixpteron

Native
Mar 16, 2008
1,469
0
UK
These two books are recommended reading on Doug Ritter's 'Equipped To Survive' website, here.

Of all the books which I've read on the subject, these have had the most profound effect on how I view the outdoors, and my place in it, irrespective of circumstance, activity or weather factors.

I cannot think of any other publications from which I learned so much on this subject. I highly reccommend both books, I got mine from here, at the best prices in the UK.

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fireman sam

Member
Jan 26, 2009
33
0
the woods
Am I allowed to recommend my own book, Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iranian-Rap...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260093230&sr=8-1

It's an adventure travel book about my recent hitchhiking from Essex to and then around the Islamic Republic of Iran, and although not a bushcraft book per se, it does contain some interesting bushcraft info. If you're in North America you can get it in all good book stores or if elsewhere then on Amazon. Here's the publisher's blurb and a couple of reviews:

A backpacker’s charming, hilarious account of the secret world of counterculture Iran. Iran looms large in the psyche of modern America. For decades, it has been “the enemy,” its government taunting us and attacking our Western, secular lifestyle. That is largely the Iranian government, however, not the Iranian people. Here’s the proof.

When Jamie Maslin decides to backpack the entire length of the Silk Road, he decides to travel first and plan later. Then, unexpectedly stranded in a country he’s only read about in newspapers, he decides to make the best of it—but wonders whether he’ll make it out alive. Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into a subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are more than happy to show him the true Iran as they see it—the one where unmarried men and women mingle in Western clothes at secret parties, where alcohol (the possession of which is punishable by lashings) is readily available on the black market, where Christian churches are national heritage sites, and where he discovers the real meaning of friendship, nationality, and hospitality.

This is a hilarious, charming, and astonishing account of one Westerner’s life-altering rambles across Iran that will leave you wondering what else you don’t know about Iran and its people. 24 color illustrations.

"A timely and valuable book by a young Westerner who decides to see Iran for himself. Maslin is naive upon his arrival--having no idea what to expect--but keeps an open mind and invites the reader along on his fascinating and colorful adventures. His experiences reveal the lies that mainstream media are telling us about the country. Having read this book, I may visit Iran in the near future." ----Richard Kendrick, author of Déjà Vu

"Bill Bryson meets Jack Kerouac." --Simon Van Booy, author of The Secret Lives of People in Love and Love Begins in Winter

"Jamie Maslin follows a long line of intrepid young Britons, from Laurie Lee to Paddy Leigh Fermor and, most recently, Rory Stewart, who set off on a journey to distant parts with little money but lots of curiosity; and return to tell their tale. Maslin has a good ear for dialogue and a keen eye. The result is a hitchhiking odyssey across Iran that provides a fascinating, and timely, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a country the news anchors never reach." --Simon Worrall, author of The Poet and the Murderer

"Jamie Maslin's book is Iran from the ground up, and a total surprise to those who only know the media version of that country. A fascinating likeness of a complicated people." ----Anthony Brandt, editor of the Journals of Lewis and Clark and The National Geographic Adventure Classics series
 

helixpteron

Native
Mar 16, 2008
1,469
0
UK
This looks to be a masterpiece of timing, and as the author (Maker) I would have thought that you could post this in the Makers Market!

Timing apart, it also looks to be a very good read.
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