Jim Rawles, author of Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse and publisher of SurvivalBlog.com, has just posted an exhaustive list of reader-selected books containing knowledge that may come in quite handy in the years ahead, in a column entitled "Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills":
In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills:
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute "must" for every well-prepared family!)
The Foxfire Book series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best)
Where There Is No Dentist
by Murray Dickson
"Rawles on Retreats and Relocation"
Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
by James Talmage Stevens
The "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course
Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival
by Jack A. Spigarelli
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
Tappan on Survival
by Mel Tappan
Boston's Gun Bible
by Boston T. Party
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth
Survival Guns
by Mel Tappan
Boy Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Most readers recommend getting pre-1970 editions.)
All New Square Foot Gardening
by Mel Bartholomew
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
by Matthew Stein
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by Abigail R. Gehring
Preparedness Now!: An Emergency Survival Guide (Expanded and Revised Edition)
by Aton Edwards
Putting Food By
by Janet Greene
First Aid (American Red Cross Handbook) Responding To Emergencies
Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
by James Talmage Stevens
Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
Cookin' with Home Storage
by Vicki Tate
SAS Survival Handbookby John "Lofty" Wiseman
Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
by Mike Bubel
Outdoor Survival Skillsby Larry Dean Olsen
Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
by Carol Hupping
The American Boy's Handybook of Camp Lore and Woodcraft
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Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Aliveby Cody Lundin
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
by Maurice G. Kains
Essential Bushcraft
by Ray Mears
The Survivor book series by Kurt Saxon. Many are out of print in hard copy, but they are all available on DVD. Here, I must issue a caveat lector ("reader beware"): Mr. Saxon has some very controversial views that I do not agree with. Among other things he is a eugenicist.
How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier
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The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Tom Brown Jr.'s series of books, especially:
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)
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Total Resistance
by H. von Dach
Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies
by Hugh Coffee
Living Well on Practically Nothing
by Ed Romney
The Secure Home
by Joel Skousen
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikesby Cody Lundin
The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare
by John Poole.
Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book by Paul Tawrell
Engineer Field Data (US Army FM 5-34) --Available online free of charge, with registration, but I recommend getting a hard copy. preferably with the heavy-duty plastic binding.
Great Livin' in Grubby Times
by Don Paul
Just in Case
by Kathy Harrison
Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment
by Chris McNab
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by John & Martha Storey
Adventure Medical Kits A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicineby Eric A. Weiss, M.D.
US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook
(ST31-91B)
Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition
by Paul S. Auerbach
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Elliot Coleman
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by Abigail R. Gehring
Government By Emergency
by Dr. Gary North
The Weed Cookbook: Naturally Nutritious - Yours Free for the Taking!
by Adrienne Crowhurst
The Modern Survival Retreat
by Ragnar Benson
Last of the Mountain Men
by Harold Peterson
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness
by John McPherson
LDS Preparedness Manual, edited by Christopher M. Parrett
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
by James H. Kunstler
Principles of Personal Defense - Revised Edition
by Jeff Cooper
Survival Poachingby Ragnar Benson



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