J. Wayne Fears wrote a pretty good book called The Complete Book of Outdoor Survival. Although the title is a bit exagerated, it is still a helpful book covering a broad range of survival topics. I found particularly illuminating his discussion and depiction of snakes. Although the sketches and pictures seemed a little dark, they still helped me a lot in distinguishing snakes. Anyway, the more good books you read on any subject, the more you will glean useful tidbits that further clarify and inform your understanding. Obviously I liked the book. YMMV.

The knife looks OK for the purpose, but pricey. In short I agree with Brian's assessment.

John