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.