Awesome Books list for self reliance and survival

I figure in order to keep to the KISS aproach, please only list the absolute top guides/books here that you have or have seen not the entire library. In other words the ones that would go with you even if you had to carry them on your back if there was a catastrophy.

I just got an AWESOME book when we cleaned out my uncles house that was published by Morton salt co. in 1950 titled, 'Home Meat Curing Made Easy' then says across the bottom 'PORK-BEEF-LAMB-SAUSAGE' and on the back says 'Cured Meats ...an important part of the home food supply'. This is a 122 page magazine/booklet with full photo illustration that fully explains butchering from live to cured along with how to render the lard, how to do all the cuts and so much more. I contacted Morton to see if this can still be had from them and will let you know what I find out but if you ever have a chance to get this, DO!

'Naked into the wilderness' by John and Geri McPhearson is the best guide I know of for being able to live off the land starting off with nothing. The author is former special forces and now teaches classes to the special forces survival instructors a couple times a year so they can teach the same info in this book in thier survival school for the US special forces. It explains tanning leather/buckskin, trapping, stone tool making, shelter building, fire making through friction, primitive cooking methods and much, much more.

 

ok here r 2 i can think of (Life After Doomsday by-Brucie d Clayton and just found this one a wk ago Stocking Up by the editors of Organic Gardening and Farmimg so far it looks like a good book has chapters over canningvegetables and fruits, underground storage,harvesting vege's and fruits,freezing vege's fruits and meats,all so covers dairy products, meats preparing meats, dessing meats canning curing and smoking meats and last nutd,seeds and grains now i didnt list everything but from what i have read do far would def be a book to have around ok thats all for now

 

Better yet, have them microfiched,

and have a 24x handheld magnifier with which to read them. It's sold at camera shops, for closely examining negatives-film. You can't possibly carry enough info in book form, even if you carried nothing else. On fiche, however, you can handle the job easily.

 

I have considered it but finding most of the books on micro fiche can be a problem, if they can however then haveing them in that form and a reader that is not dependent on batteries would definatly be an improvement for most of them, the only possible exception being things where one may need to be able to refer easily to it while doing something but even then it would be doable. Since you mentioned 'have them microfiched' do you take in books and have this done? If so where are you able to have it done and on average, say for a 200 page book, about what dose it cost?

 

I, too, would be interested in the cost of microfiching.

As far as the one book I would want, that's a tough call, but I'll go with:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0974082023/?tag=survivalmonke-20


ISBN: 0974082023, ISBN-13: 9780974082028 Format: Paperback, pp. 1080 Publisher: Paul Tawrell
"With over 3600 illustrations and pages of information, it tells you how to travel, make a camp, understand your environment, and choose equipment. In the case of an emergency it will help you find water, food, shelter from the weather, and care for yourself if you are sick or injured. Topics such as signals, animals, and weather; applied specifically to such special activities as summer hiking, desert travel, water travel and car travel. Learn individual skills such as maps and compass, first aid and mountain climbing. Ensure a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment by building a foundation of knowledge."

It's my choice content-wise but it's HUGE ... I don't exactly keep it in my BOB.

 

That 24X Magnifier and Microfiche idea...

is ONE OF THE BEST I've read yet, Meyah. Great addition to a BOB. Ric

 

Ghrit, you are the man...master of understatement.
I sort of liked the armoured wheelbarrow idea, add a few airsoft automatic rifles and some oreo cookies and milk, you could play all day.

 

"Federal Keeping"! You guys are loads of fun. LOL! Ric

 

I think one of the best overall references would be Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. Kind of got everything one could ever need to get along by themselves.

 

Re: Awsome Books list for self reliance and survival

the book I would take before any of the others in my collection is ON YOUR OWN IN THE WILDERNESS by TOWNSEN WHEELER. It covers many aspects of living in the wilderness with only what you can carry. There is even a section on cooking on open fire and recipies

 

Here are four

I own every survival manual I've ever heard of.
Yep.

The absolute hands down best E&E "manual" out there is "Six Ways in, Twelve Ways Out" by George Jasper of USRSOG.

Cresson Kearney's "Nuclear War Survival Skills" is worth every penny - even though you can download it for free on the 'net.

C.G. Cobb's "Bad Times Primer" is one of the best 'survivalist' manuals out there.

Skousen's "Secure Home" is a great book of you are going to build or remodel your home.

 

Re: Awsome Books list for self reliance and survival

This is a book I would never buy again!!!! If you really sit down and read it and have lived a self-reliant livestyle you will find that she is wwwaaaayyyy over rated. Most of what she rights is info. that she has gotten from other people that she doesn't know (therefore doesn't know if the info is good) and the things she has done it sounds like she's failed to actually get done. The woman even failed at making vinigar, DW makes it all the time and it's not that hard. Not a slam on you Khan just the book.

OGM

 

Re: Awsome Books list for self reliance and survival

Kearney's book is worth reading on the net and to think about even more than most. He points out that much of the Necular survival stuff is of limited use and in fact may well be dangerous. The government is good at getting some engineers to design something, survival shelter, stockpile of antibiotics, whatever, but may well never test them out in real life. He uses the results of a navy study on sailors liveing in a fall out shelter and how even with medical care available and practally unlimited supplies, it failed after a short time as they did not control the air flow and humidity in the shelter and they all ended up with skin problems. Remember the homesteading show in the west on public tv a few years ago. It ended in the early fall as it was obvious that the houses were not suitable for cold weather and they did not have nearly enough wood to survive the winter. It is hard to find a good balance between a million dollar shelter that will either be taken over by the government or be surrounded by mutant biker zombies and the armored wheelbarrow. I like the Mother Earth News and the Foxfire series and all of the old self help pamphlets, Ball on canning, Mortons of meat curing, drying and storing fruits and vegatables etc. I think the things you can do now to improve your life are best. For food storage, I would go to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. They have been doing it for 150 years and pretty much have the bugs out of it and the lowest cost, longest storage time. May not be freeze dried irradiated hot dogs, but it will keep you alive and healthy.

 

Re: Awsome Books list for self reliance and survival

Storey's Basic Country Skills is a good all around book. Putting Food By is a great book (Greene, Hertzberg and Vaughan). Crisis Preparedness Handbook by J. Spigarelli is a good book. And a good one to get people started without dumping a huge amount of things on them at once and frightening them away or making them think you are insane is Emergency Preparedness and Survival Guide from Backwoods Home Magazine. And a basic cookbook is also good to have in your preps.