Sorry if this is an old topic, but my search didn't turn up anything.

What are the top 5 books that you'd be sure to include in your packing for whatever disaster or emergency you prepare for?

I'll assume that if you have deeply held religious beliefs, you'll include your scriptures or sacred writings. You may also include the the Constitution or other founding documents, so we'll assume these are in addition to the five.

My list would start with:
1) A Sense of Survival by J. Allan South
2) Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook by David Werner, Carol Thuman & Jane Maxwell
3) Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen
4) Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants of (my region)
5) Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson Kearny

Electronic media now allows you to carry hundreds of books, so these would be the five you would not, under any circumstances, delete from your device.

A copy of Wilderness and Travel Medicine by Eric Weiss...great little pocket sized guide.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0...mp;qid=&sr=

Each of my car BOBs has the Collins Gem version of the SAS Survival Guide by Wiseman, along with a magnifier. Each also has a set of knot cards and a set of shelter-building reference cards.

The Hesperian books (publishers of Where There Is No Doctor) are excellent for a survival library. So is Desk Ref. Less of a reference work, I'm partial to Lundin's 98.6 Degrees... for a primer on survival.

One should have the principles of any publication well before you must implement them. I have a mental picture of someone hunkering down in a blizzard and turning to the chapter on fire starting. Hopefully your e-reader will function in sub-zero conditions.

Still there is good stuff out there. As a certified geezer, I still refer frequently to my well worn copy of Pond and Nesbitt's Survival Book - lots of data and analysis, together with pertinent anecdotes, spiced with charmingly outdated language. Apparently in 1959, women didn't need to concern themselves with survival.

Another good one is James Wilkerson's Mountaineering Medicine, especially the most recent (3rd) edition.

I don't intend to place any of these in my pack when venturing out. I read and practice in advance and save the weight and space for more critical items.

The Master Backwoodsman by Bradford Angier -- classic.
Then you also need to get a Randall Model 5 Camp and Trail knife.

One thing I have been looking for recently ...

a good book on how to build a log cabin.

you would think that this was a simple process. maybe it used to be. but with many people going into "exotic log cabin homes" ... it has also become an industry that is trying to promote itself. it would be helpful to get back to basics. For example, I don't really see why it's necessary to use logs that are 12-inches in diameter. Yes, I guess that this means the timber is long so you can make big houses. but do the logs in a log cabin really need to be 12-inch diameter? It seems like saplings that are 3-4 inches in diameter would provide excellent insulation. and they are easier to drag around after you chop them.

so ... looking for a good practical book about building shelters made from rough timber. there is craftsmanship involved. it would be nice to see how this can be done with a few basic tools. surely the right book must exist.

thanks,
Pete

Check out YouTube also....

I don't pack survival books when I travel or go backpacking (unfortunately, it's been quite a while since I went on any backpacking trip of note). I read them books ahead of time. Although I'll admit, sometimes in the past I have thrown in that small sized GEM short version book of the SAS Survival Manual. Not for learning while out there, more as a memory refresher for the bigger original book. Things like the finer points of how to create various trigger mechanisms for snares would normally escape my memory, since I've never had to do that in real life. So the GEM book would be good reminders for that, if necessary.

My favorites have already been mentioned: The SAS Survival Manual, and Cody Lundins book. The GEM book is on the list too, for its "reminder" properties.

Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook. Loads of highly practical, potentially life saving information.

Hans von Dach, Total Resistance. Written back in the 1950's, needs minor updates but if push comes to shove - this is the real deal.

And my old military mountaineering handbook. Covers pretty much all intermediate to advanced outdoor techniques I'm ever likely to need in real life.

I don't know about the other books for amateur physicians, but the only medical books I have are the "Wilderness & Travel Medicine" handbooks by Eric A. Weiss that came with a couple AMK FAK's and the Wilderness First Responder" by Buck Tilton, MS, WEMT . IIRC this book was a textbook for the NOLS Wilderness First Responder course. I purchased mine after taking the NOLS Wilderness First Aid course. Fairly comprehensive and being a textbook it may be better than other medical books for the DIY EMT. That said, a good EMT course is a thing.

someplace around i have some modern books on that with lots of how to make cuts with chain saws and what tubes of caulk to use. however how about a look at,"shelters,shacks and shanties" by Dan Beard or "the wilderness cabin by Calvin Rutstrum and "cabins,lodges and bungalows" which is a Popular Science run down on the subject from 1934.

Handyman In-Your-Pocket
"Finally, THE building and maintenance reference book you have been looking for...... information galore! An amazing new shirt pocket reference designed specifically for handymen, maintenance people, engineers, scientists, industrial workers, contractors, and builders. It contains 768 pages of facts, tables, and vital information AND it fits in your shirt pocket!"


Pocket Ref 4th Edition
"Pocket Ref is one sweet book. It is part encyclopedia, part trivia tome, part entertainment and part dispute-solver. Buried in the various tables and charts are tons of data and facts to aid the rider, roadside mechanic or budding MacGyver.
Let's say you are riding in Colorado, and want to know how much to re-jet. You simply go to the chapter on air & gases (p. 13) and learn that air pressure @ 10,000 ft is approx. 70% of mean standard air pressure.
Lose your owner's manual? In Chapter 2 (p. 25) you can find a torque level to safely reinstall 12mm spark plugs in an aluminum head (18-22 ft-lbs.) Settle that tavern bet over the codes on your tire sidewalls (p. 31)
Wondering how thick the wire should be to run your new electric vest? Look in Chapter 6.
What do you suppose the weather is like in Maine in September? Will you need warm weather gear? (p. 162)
This book has everything. Wind Chill tables, Heat Index data, an entire chapter that cross-references SAE, Metric and even Whitworth hardware. Listings of those formulas you've forgotten from High School.
Several Chapters apply to the off-season mechanic or machinist. Drill sizing; counter-sinking; metal properties & hardness; welding data and taps and dies. Granted there are more complete machining books, but if you are at the store and are blanking on a spec, the Pocket Ref may save you a return trip.
Oh sure, you can get most of this information off of the internet. But out in Hooterville at O-dark-thirty, you may be able to find your answer before your alpha-geek friend has even accessed the 'net.
Author Thomas Glover has compiled tons of data onto 544 pages into this little, 5 1/4" X 3 1/4" book. Tankbag?!? Hell - this thing fits into your jacket"

Recent additions to my library: http://www.pssurvival.com/

Since many of these works are wilderness 'how to' books, going well beyond survival, we would be remiss not to consider "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills", now in its 8th, 50th Anniversary Edition. It gives a lot of good information that is relevant for wilderness hiking, camping, and travel in general. I have my copy of the first edition (1960), and it is interesting to compare then and now.

What's the bible for canoeing and kayaking? I understand some of us indulge in those activities.....

Wilderness Search and Rescue by Setnicka.

Stuff you might not find elsewhere on technical skills.