Survival literature should be approached with a few caveats.

First, any medical information over even a few years old may have some serious problems with procedures now rejected as of little use or actually harmfull.How many people have Cutter snakebite kits? raise your hands.

Two, there is A LOT of fossilized information or incorrect diagrams that have been passed on without confirmation. When I hear somebody boast their students dug solar wells and produced enough water to compete with SPARKLETS I read everything else they write with a dose of salt ( from that obsolete medical list.)

The INVERSE of this caveat is a book of utter worthlessness may have one gem buried in the matrix of backfill that makes it worthwhile.

Three, a lot of kit recommendations are a result of personal prejudice, regional needs and often simply what was 'at hand.' For many years the KABAR was a popular knife in the OZ bush. They did reshape the leather handle, drill a lanyard hole and amputate the upper tang.KABARS seem to have been what was available, they made the best of it.

The many interconnected groups of outdoors have different world views. keep this in mind when reading, wiegh it's impact on the material and be respectfull ( unless it's the guys building 55 gallon drum silencers for .50 BMG rifles)
An old acquaintance could never master teh bowdrill. He went to REEVIS MOUNTAIN SCHOOL and came back grumbling about the ( largely) vegetarian fare and campfire talks about reincarnation.
Oh, THEN he demonstrated his now superior to mine skilll at bowdrill fires, mumbling Peter was the best instructor he'd ever had.I'd eat cold hamburger helper on french toast for a week if I got such a skill! Don't gigle at buckskins,BDUs,loinclothes or my tweeds. You can laugh at Goretex.

As to a few books not mentioned so far. THE 2 OZ.BACKPACKER by Robert S. Wood- Ten Speed Press has some neat information- even if I hate vapor barrier liners.

The Winter Wilderness Companion by the Conovers is another good read, especially for clothing.

RODALE PRESS published dozens of titles during the 70s 'back to the land' movement. If it was beekeeping or building log homes they published something- and in frustratingly limited runs.
You get started in any longterm aspect of sufficiency, and I garantee you will see a RODAL title in the bibliography. You find a Rodale title, buy it. You have something highly tradeable in the community- better than .22LR survial barter or gold coins. And, you get to read it first before trading it to the lady who talks to bees.

Lastly, the most VALUABLE group of books ever written, now VERY rare. ANYTHING on Y2K. A good reminder that not all of our social fears actually come to pass- just the ones not expected, like magnetic reversal of the poles right after our new Silva came via post.....