Books About Wilderness Survival
- Numerous books have been written about surviving in the wilderness.canada wilderness image by Michael Shake from Fotolia.com
People read books about wilderness survival for a number of reasons. Some want to learn in preparation for extended camping trips; other want to prepare for a back-to-basics lifestyle in the event that something happens in the world that requires them to survive in the wild. Others simply enjoy reading the experiences of those with wilderness survival stories. Many books have been written on the subject. - "Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book" by Paul Tawrell is an independently published book covering the basics of camping and survival in the wilderness and much more.
The book is more than 1,000 pages and contains information about survival in all types of terrain, as well as explanations of animal and plant life within each area. The book explains how to predict incoming weather as well as the basics of first aid, hunting, fishing and shelter construction. - Author Barry Davies, an 18-year veteran of the British Special Air Service (SAS), has written a number of books about life in the SAS. "SAS Essential Survival" is a small book designed to fit into a backpack or pocket as a portable reference during wilderness travel or when being caught unprepared in the wilderness is a possibility.
The book details how to find food, describing what is safe or unsafe to eat, and how to locate water. Accompanied by many illustrations, the text describes how to find your way to civilization without the use of a map or compass, using celestial navigation techniques. The book also gives suggestions about drawing attention to yourself to make it easier for search-and-rescue teams to locate you. - "Into the Wild" is a nonfiction account based on the life of Chris McCandless. McCandless was a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta who decided to take to the road after college, in search of an ideal life outside the stress of the modern world. After trekking across the country and stopping in several different spots, McCandless decided to go into the wilderness of Alaska and live off the land. McCandless survived in the wild for approximately 112 days before dying of starvation.
The book is not about survival in the wilderness but of a man's ability to survive (or not survive) in it. Readers interested in stories of people living off the land will like this story. Although the story of McCandless' life is interesting on its own merit, the book also sheds light on the importance of knowing how to properly care for oneself in the wilderness.
Jon Krakauer is the author. Anchor published the work based on Krakauer's essay about McCandless in 1996. Since then, the book has become a national bestseller; in 2007, a successful film adaptation was released.
