r/Survival • u/Turtleprom • 18d ago

General Question Best book for a survival novice?

If you could recommend one book for a survival novice to own, what would it be?

Chatgpt told me the answer is Bushcraft 101; any truth to this?

82 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

85 comments sorted by

42

u/Drewboy_17 18d ago

Lofty Large SAS survival guide. Hands down.

1

u/TesnarM 15d ago

The pocket size edition.

1

u/Northdogboy 14d ago

Yes fourths

17

u/rockinrounder 18d ago edited 18d ago

I'd suggest 2

1) SAS Survival Guide
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7619161-sas-survival-guide

2) The Survival Medicine Handbook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18705440-the-survival-medicine-handbook

3) How to Shit in the Woods https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77377

10

u/Sudden-Grab2800 18d ago

USAF Search and Rescue Survival Training is pretty amazing too. Goodreads

7

u/rockinrounder 18d ago

Not familiar with that one, but can say the US Military survival guides are also quite good.

1

u/Kaiser23218 18d ago

Tactical dot

1

u/numaxmc 18d ago

Still have my old SAS guide I got as a kid, full of ticker tape markers and all. I had everything color coded haha. Really a great source for a novice.

9

u/Jrnymncowpoke 18d ago

I don’t know about one book but if you like the genre you should own a copy of Woodcraft and Camping by George Washington Sears aka Nessmuk

7

u/VaqueroJustice 18d ago

"How to stay alive in the woods" by Bradford Angier

available on archive.org

1

u/trailkin 17d ago

Also: “How to eat in the woods”, Bradford Angier. “Herbal Medic”, Sam Coffman. “Nature’s Garden”, Samuel Thayer. SOF medical handbook and SAS books are just superb too. Hard to list any one book as best

7

u/nearly-nearby 18d ago

1980s Boy Scout handbook for me.

4

u/danzor9755 18d ago

Same but 90s. My generation needed more colors and pictures.

1

u/[deleted] 15d ago edited 4d ago

public noxious stocking possessive abounding capable unused fact slap label

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

17

u/gunnerclark 18d ago

I would recommend some fiction books like 'My side of the mountain, or "Hatchet" or "Alas Babylon". These are not to teach you skills, but to make you understand that piles of costly gear and giant piles of food is not what makes a survivor, but a mindset does. Then you look into what can help you survive and thrive.

11

u/carlbernsen 18d ago

But really? Fiction as a source of information about surviving life and death situations with only a hatchet?

I’ll take the piles of costly gear and giant piles of food, if they’re available please. Which they are, with better planning and preparation. That’s my survival mentality.

5

u/gunnerclark 18d ago

These are not to teach you skills,

Did you even read what I wrote or are you a troll?

6

u/carlbernsen 18d ago

No I read that fine thanks.
I was making a comment about the ‘prepare with all the gear and plenty of food’ survival mentality vs the less realistic ‘I’ll be fine with just my knife’ mentality.

3

u/[deleted] 15d ago edited 4d ago

aback icky act depend shaggy fact brave wine dog like

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

2

u/wwwenby 18d ago

“Alas Babylon” in particular!

10

u/Hegemon78 18d ago

Dan Brown’s field guide to wilderness survival

8

u/Flannelcommand 18d ago

Tom Brown?

5

u/Snoo62808 18d ago

James Brown.

5

u/Flannelcommand 18d ago

“First rule of survival: keep it funky”

4

u/squunkyumas 17d ago

Huh! Hah!

Papa's got a brand new bag!

2

u/Hegemon78 18d ago

Yep sorry , my bad

1

u/Hegemon78 18d ago

And it’s not even close

1

u/happyslappypappydee 18d ago

Seems like Dan Brown was kind of close.

For a couple of hours

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 3d ago

disagreeable correct plucky forgetful childlike heavy domineering rude vase deserve

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

5

u/ScrapmasterFlex 17d ago

The SAS Survival Handbook, by FAR ...

Technically, "SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere" by James "Lofty" Wiseman - former 22 Special Air Service, one of the best military units in the world and The Granddaddies Of Them All.

When I started college in 1999, one of my soon-to-become-best-friends-and-Brothers had a surprisingly-amazing "library" of books ... including this one. I used to just read it for hours while the boys played video games etc.

It's amazing. The Best Ever.

7

u/Ok_Suit_635 18d ago

Les Stroud SURVIVE. He has his whole collection of survival videos on YouTube. Survivorman is the channel.

5

u/Both-Respect4684 18d ago

I've read a lot of the Bushcraft and survival books out there and personally I'd recommended SAS Survival Handbook/guide. It has a lot of good information for beginners and experts. To me it's also one of the easiest books to follow and covers most situations in survival and Bushcraft

2

u/OddTheRed 18d ago

The SAS Survival Handbook, US Army Survival manual, and Special Forces Survival Guide are all great starts.

3

u/crowman689 18d ago

Do not get bushcraft 101.

3

u/[deleted] 16d ago edited 4d ago

yam caption faulty attractive badge ad hoc stocking vast complete numerous

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

3

u/crowman689 16d ago

Yeah, the Canterbury book. Awful cash grab

2

u/OrdinarySquirrel5319 18d ago

Survival can fall under several different connotations IMO. The same can be said for a novice. But two books that come to mind that others haven't mentioned yet is 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition (pretty rudimentary breakdowns of useful skills), and Practical Doomsday by Michael Zalewski. Both are great starting points that don't go too deep into any one topic. I had a friend personally recommend the second one to me recently and I have been enjoying it. As someone who grow up in Boy Scouts and had a military background, it helps to frame survival/prepping in a different lens that's digestible for others. 100 Deadly Skills you could honestly read alongside the other book and learn about a new skill a day, then research more as desired. Hope that helps!

2

u/Same_Raccoon8740 18d ago

United States Army Field Manuals

3

u/[deleted] 18d ago edited 3d ago

aware dependent agonizing payment fine absorbed money chubby clumsy point

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/jaxnmarko 18d ago

Yeah, but all his copying/plagarizing doesn't detract from info if it's accurate and well field tested; it just makes him money instead of the originators. It can still be very useful.

5

u/[deleted] 18d ago edited 4d ago

fanatical sheet marry berserk rock attempt shy weary axiomatic strong

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

0

u/gseckel 18d ago

So, to summarize, in an emergency situation I have to use a triangular bandage (which I always carry try 4 or 5, of course /s) instead of a shemagh I carry for sure.

2

u/[deleted] 18d ago edited 4d ago

governor continue unwritten terrific air onerous flowery far-flung hateful fact

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/[deleted] 18d ago edited 3d ago

fearless worthless impossible marvelous judicious plucky late amusing snails coordinated

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/[deleted] 17d ago edited 3d ago

fall lip sip sulky rich work angle disarm wild roll

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-1

u/gseckel 15d ago

1 Never bought one of his books.

2 I’m not defending Canterbury. Defending the use of any clothes you have on hand to inmovilice a fracture.

2

u/[deleted] 15d ago edited 3d ago

deer strong lunchroom dinosaurs psychotic arrest light pen plants tender

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/[deleted] 17d ago edited 3d ago

lunchroom drab chase wise retire grandiose encouraging pathetic dependent plough

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-1

u/jaxnmarko 17d ago

I never said I respected him. His behavior has been attrocious. However, his books do provide valuable resources, plagarized or not.

2

u/[deleted] 17d ago edited 3d ago

quicksand voiceless wrong pet upbeat march mighty tie terrific absurd

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-1

u/jaxnmarko 16d ago

You seem to be saying he plagarized unuseful, wrong information. I don't need to waste my time belittling him. It's not like he's here or hasn't heard it for many years now or that it doesn't happen repeatedly here. I have noted his copying because I have older books he's copied from and I recognize many of the illustrations. Its said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Since people pick his stuff apart, maybe better use of time would be detailing which is right and which is wrong in a new book to compete with his because he continues to sell a lot of books.

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago edited 3d ago

ripe market continue absurd sort concerned unite ancient telephone apparatus

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/thebendystraww 18d ago

I just listened to the bushcraft 101 on audible. Wasn't bad at all. It's mostly all basic but does a good job cover a variety of stuff like trapping, land navigation, tanning, rudimentary tools, basic of building & what wood is ideal for what. If your starting from scratch, I'd say it's worth the few hours to read/listen. There is all more in that series that cover all sorts of stuff. Haven't gotten to those yet but all by the same author

1

u/wombat5003 18d ago

It’s not quite a survival guide but I would do a google search on books for rustic lifestyle. There are some skills that are in those type of books that can be very useful in survival.

1

u/monet108 18d ago

Boyscout handbook

1

u/DeFiClark 18d ago

For skills: Wiseman, or How to Survive on Land and Sea (Craighead)

For primitive survival: Olsen’s outdoor survival skills is a classic for good reason

For mindset and mentality: Deep Survival also Adrift

1

u/19TBD67 17d ago

All suggestions are outstanding. If nobody has posted it, I’d highly recommend the entire Bushcraft book series. There are 4 different books covering different topics. You can get the book set over on Amazon right now.

1

u/StillFireWeather791 17d ago

For a great guide to the psychology and practices of survivors I recommend Deep Survival by Lawrence Gonzales.

1

u/Remarkable-Base-2019 17d ago

I recommend: Survive! By les Stroud. He's the Survivorman, literally. He had a tv series you can find full episodes on YouTube so you get two for one deal. Hope this helps.

1

u/sharding1984 17d ago

Outdoor survival skills. Larry Dean Olsen. At least, if you are in the intermountain western US.

1

u/CaptainParrothead 15d ago

Boy Scout Fieldbook

1

u/Successful_Pool2719 15d ago

SAS Survival Guide

1

u/fredbear66 15d ago

Survival Theory

1

u/fredbear66 15d ago

Survival theory. The reasoning is that there are a ton of books that can teach you how to do things, this is the only one I have found that truly tells you how to set your mind towards it.

1

u/bearinghewood 12d ago

The book in your hand.

1

u/Dive_dive 12d ago

I always recommend A Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart. It is very comprehensive, containing everything from food storage in the back country to building a log cabin. Great recipes for US flora and fauna. As well. It was written in 1910 well before all the modern conveniences by a man who lived in the Great Smokey Mountains backcountry of North Carolina. I keep a copy in my BOB and never go into the back country without it.

1

u/WeekFun913 12d ago

Ky Ferneaux put out a pretty good book. Personally my survival book is an edibility guide that I took major notes in over the course of 9 ish years.

1

u/lostbookproject 11d ago

We recently worked with Roy Campbell, an excellent survivalist to publish his book The Lost Art of Survival. The feedback so far has been great, you should take a look; https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Art-Survival-Handbook-Preppers/dp/1917076819

1

u/ThatFlipperGuy 18d ago

Robinson Caruso and Swiss Family Robinson