Gold & Silver Forum - The SurvivalBlog Bookshelf

Great information in here.......something for everybody guranteed!!! :ok:

Note: Many of these books and DVDs are available though our Amazon store. By using the provided links, you'll help support SurvivalBlog, with sales commissions. Thanks!

We also sell a variety of preparedness gear, via Amazon.

Jim's Recommended Books:

Jim's Non-Fiction "musts":

KJV Version Reference Bible with Apocrypha

First Aid -- (American Red Cross Handbook) Responding To Emergencies

Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook by David Werner

Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson

The Encyclopedia of Country Living (Tenth Edition) by Carla Emery (See
review, below)

Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens

Ball Blue Book of Preserving

Cookin' with Home Storage by Vicki Tate

Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)

The Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley. (Out of print, but a PDF is available for free download.)

Boston's Gun Bible by Boston T. Party (See review, below)

Survival Guns by Mel Tappan (The Janus Press, Rogue River, Oregon)

Tappan on Survival by Mel Tappan (The Janus Press, Rogue River, Oregon)

Jim's "Second Tier" List of Recommended Specialty Books:

Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition by Abigail R. Gehring

Putting Food By (Plume) by Janet Greene

Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide by Carol Hupping

Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth

How to Find Your Ideal Country Home: A Comprehensive Guide by Gene GeRue (See review, below)

Starting a New Life in Rural America: 21 Things You Need to Know Before You Make Your Move by Ragnar Benson

The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book by Mike Oehler

Emergency War Surgery (NATO Handbook:- Third United States Revision, 2004) by Dr. Martin Fackler, et al.

PDR for Nonprescription Drugs, Dietary Supplements, and Herbs, 2008 (See review, below)

Physicians Drug Handbook

Physicians' Desk Reference 2009 (PDR, 63rd Edition)

The Merck Veterinary Manual

Where There Is No Vet by Bill Forse

The ARRL Operating Manual For Radio Amateurs (ARRL Operating Manual)

Passport to World Band Radio, 2009 Edition

Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen

Essential Bushcraft by Ray Mears

SAS Survival Handbookby John "Lofty" Wiseman

Ultimate Sniper 2006 : An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police

Snipers (2006 Updated Edition) by Maj. John L. Plaster

Total Resistance by H. von Dach

The Survivor book series by Kurt Saxon. Many are out of print in hard copy, but they are all available on DVD. Here, I must issue a caveat lector ("reader beware"): Mr. Saxon has some very controversial views that I do not agree with. Among other things he is a eugenicist.

Other Nonfiction Books Recommnnded by SurvivalBlog Readers:

Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival by Jack A. Spigarelli

The Foxfire Book series (in 11 volumes, but the first five are the best)

When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency by Matthew Stein

Preparedness Now!: An Emergency Survival Guide (Expanded and Revised Edition) by Aton Edwards

Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management by Maurice G. Kains

How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier

The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking

Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)

Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies by Hugh Coffee
Living Well on Practically Nothing by Ed Romney

The Secure Home by Joel Skousen

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life, by Neil Strauss

98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin

When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikesby Cody Lundin

The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfareby John Poole

Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book by Paul Tawrell

Engineer Field Data (US Army FM 5-34) --Available online free of charge, with registration, but I recommend getting a hard copy. preferably with the heavy-duty plastic binding.

Great Livin' in Grubby Times by Don Paul

Just in Case by Kathy Harrison

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance by John & Martha Storey

Adventure Medical Kits A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel
Medicineby Eric A. Weiss, M.D

Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener

Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook (superceded the very out-of-date ST 31-91B)

Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition by Paul S. Auerbach

Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Longby Elliot Coleman

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition by Abigail R. Gehring

The Weed Cookbook: Naturally Nutritious - Yours Free for the Taking! by Adrienne Crowhurst

The Modern Survival Retreat by Ragnar Benson

Last of the Mountain Men by Harold Peterson

Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness by John McPherson

LDS Preparedness Manual, edited by Christopher M. Parrett

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James H. Kunstler

Principles of Personal Defense - Revised Edition by Jeff Cooper

Survival Poaching by Ragnar Benson

The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses by Eliot Coleman
Jim's Recommended "Be Ready to Barter" Reference Book List:

Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values
Blue Book of Gun Values

The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins 2009

2009 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000
2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-Date

Antique Trader - Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide

Wristwatch Annual 2009: The Catalog of Producers, Prices, Models, and Specifications

Jewelry & Gems the Buying Guide: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry With Confidence And Knowledge

Note: If you enjoy reading my blog, you will also likely enjoy reading :

"Rawles on Retreats and Relocation" -- a unique nonfiction book with details on selecting and stocking a self-sufficient survival retreat.

"SurvivalBlog-The Best of the Blog, Volume 1" -- A compendium of some of the best articles and letters from SurvivalBlog

The "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course (co-authored by JWR)
"How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It". (Scheduled for release in September, 2009, from Penguin Books.)

Recommended Books on Current Events and Economics

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nick Taleb

Government By Emergency by Dr. Gary North

Crash Proof 2.0: How to Profit From the Economic Collapse by Peter Schiff

Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes by Michael J. Panzner

When Giants Fall: An Economic Roadmap for the End of the American Era by Michael J. Panzner

The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide by Martin Weiss

Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today's Global Depression by Addison Wiggin and Bill Bonner

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James H. Kunstler

Fiction with Survival and Preparedness Themes (Some of these are out of print but usually available via inter-library loan):

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (A classic nuke scenario)

The Rackham Files by Dean Ing (includes the text of "Pulling Through" a more modern nuke scenario + a mini nuke survival manual) Not to be confused with my screenplay--also titled "Pulling Through".

Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe out scenario)

No Blade of Grass by John Christopher (Massive crop disease/social breakdown scenario, from the British perspective.)

Enemies Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Bracken

Molon Labe! by Boston T. Party

Earth Abides by George Stewart

Vandenberg by Oliver Lange (Invasion scenario)

The Weapon by Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large)

Unintended Consequences by John Ross (This otherwise excellent novel was marred by some vulgarity and gratuitous sex scenes. Beware!)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Wolf And Iron by Gordon Dickson

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Note: If you enjoy SurvivalBlog, I believe that you will also enjoy reading my novel "Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse" and my screenplay "Pulling Through".The latter is currently available for free download.

Survivalist Fiction Recommended by SurvivalBlog Readers:

One Second After by William R. Forstchen (An EMP scenario.)

World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

Last of the Breed by Louis L�amour

Survivors by Terry Nation

Conquistador: A Novel of Alternate History by S.M. Stirling

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Warday: And the Journey Onward by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka

Malevil by Robert Merle

Farnham's Freehold by Robert Heinlein

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein

King Rat by James Clavell

Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

The Rawles Kids' Favorite Books for Young Adults:

Nonfiction:

Boy Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911

The Dangerous Book for Boys

The American Boy's Handybook of Camp Lore and Woodcraft

How to Stay Alive in the Woods

Fiction:

Hatchet

My Side of the Mountain

Robinson Crusoe

Treasure Island

Kidnapped

The Swiss Family Robinson

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Little House on the Prairie Series

The Chronicles of Narnia Series

The Tripods Series

Johnny Tremain

Fiction for Young Adults Recommended by SurvivalBlog Readers:

The Tomorrow Series

Life As We Knew It

Escape from Warsaw (Original title: The Silver Sword)

The Memsahib's Top "Must Have" Book:

The Encyclopedia of Country Living (Tenth edition) by Carla Emery. Sasquatch Books. (Get the Ninth or later edition.) This book is 845 pages of valuable 'how-to' country survival knowledge. The first time that I butchered chickens, I used this book. When I needed 15 different ways to fix zucchini I turned to this book, when I wanted to make soap, pickles, jelly, bread from scratch, butter, and cream cheese, I found everything I needed to know in this book!

Other Books Recommended by The Memsahib:

How to Survive Without a Salary: Learning How to Live the Conserver

Lifestyle by Charles Long

The Family Cow by Dirk van Loon

Raising a Calf for Beef by Phyllis Hobson

Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk van Loon

Raising Rabbits the Modern Way by Bob Bennett

Raising Sheep the Modern Way. Updated and Revised Edition by Paula Simmons

Ducks and Geese in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide by Rick and Gail Luttmann

Recommended Magazine Subscriptions:

Backwoods Home

Countryside & Small Stock Journal

Home Power

Some of JWR's Favorite Practical and Tactical Training DVDs:

Clinton Anderson: On the Road to the Horse Colt Starting

The Art of the Tactical Carbine

Knifemaking Unplugged

Some of JWR's Favorite Movies with Survival Themes:

A Proviso: None of these films except for City of Ember are suitable for children!
Aliens

The Andromeda Strain (1971) The recent remake has also had positive reviews)

Black Hawk Down

Braveheart

Brazil

City of Ember (suitable for ages 12 and up)

Defiance This movie was based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec

Doctor Zhivago

Empire of the Sun

Enemy at the Gates

Farewell to the King

The Flight of the Phoenix (Buy the original version, made in 1965, starring Jimmy Stewart. The recent remake pales in comparison.)

The Great Escape

Hondo

I Am Legend (a good remake of The Omega Man (see below.)

Jeremiah Johnson

The Magnificent Seven the American remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (Shichinin No Samurai)

The Matrix Series (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions)

The Omega Man (It has far too many 1970s cliches, but still worth watching. More recently re-made as I Am Legend )

Open Range (IMHO, one of the better western films made)

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Panic in Year Zero (The corny film that first got me thinking about TEOTWAWKI, when I was a lad)

The Patriot

The Pianist

The Postman (A typically "Hollywood" overblown production, but still a good think piece)

The Quiet Earth

Red Dawn

The Road Warrior , aka Mad Max movies (Mad Max 2 "The Road Warrior" is by far the best of the three, although Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome has its merits)

Schindler's List (BTW, it is too bad that Spielberg didn't show Oskar Schindler arming his Jewish employees--which is what actually happened)

Serenity (I also highly recommend the short-lived cable television series Firefly , from which this feature film spun off.)

Seven Samurai (Shichinin No Samurai)

Shane (IMHO, the best western film ever made)

Soylent Green (This one barely made my list, but you may find it worth watching)

The Terminator movies (Terminator 2 is by far the best, IMHO. (Terminator 3 was a bit lame, but worth seeing if only for the glimpses of "Crystal Peak".) The television series Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles also has its merits.)

Things to Come (1936)

Tremors (more for fun rather than an education. Only the first movie is worth watching, IMHO.)

True Grit

Victory at Sea (Documentary on World War II.)

Note: If you enjoy movies with survival themes, then you will like reading my "Pulling Through" screenplay (available for free download.)

Some of JWR's Favorite Movies (of Various Themes and Genres):
Proviso: Most of these films are NOT for children. If you have teenagers, I recommend that you pre-view these films to check their suitability for your kids at their particular ages.

The Abyss

Amazing Grace (Biography of the abolitionist William Wilberforce)

The Best Years of Our Lives

Big Trouble in Little China

Blade Runner

Breaker Morant

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Brother From Another Planet

Buckaroo Banzai - Across the Eighth Dimension

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (suitable for ages 12 and up)

Conspiracy Theory

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Dances with Wolves

Dr. Strangelove

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Groundhog Day

Johnny Tremain Suitable for children 10 and up

Lawrence of Arabia

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (live action, directed by Peter Jackson)

Metropolis

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Passion of the Christ

The Prince of Egypt (animated)--Suitable for children

The Princess Bride -- Suitable for ages 14 and up

Raiders of the Lost Ark (The later installments in the Indiana Jones movies aren't nearly as good.)

A Room with a View

Saving Private Ryan

Secondhand Lions

Sergeant York

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

The Sound of Music

They Live

The Thing

The Third Man

The Thirteenth Floor (I think that this film was probably an inspiration for The Matrix.)

Total Recall

The Train

Les Visiteurs (Original French Version)

Wall-E -- Suitable for children

Willow -- Suitable for ages 14 and up

Zero Effect

Book Reviews:

The Memsahib's Book Review: Physician Desk Reference (PDR) for Herbal Medicine

PDR for Nonprescription Drugs, Dietary Supplements, and Herbs, 2008 (Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) for Nonprescription Drugs and Dietary Supplements), 987 pages

This is a huge book. (The price is huge too, $59.95) This book has information on over 700 botanicals as well as a new section on nutritional supplements. Each botanical entry gives common names and scientific names. A plant description is given. (Though not good enough to help you recognize the plant in the wild.) It tells the compounds found in the herb and the effects of the compounds. A very strong plus! There is usage (both proven and unproven) for each entry. Mode of administration and sometimes dosage amounts are given. The reason I really like this book is for the section on precautions and adverse reactions. Remember the Hippocratic oath---Do thy patient no harm! (There are many materials on herbs out there which say nothing about overdoses and adverse reactions.) There is a section of color photos of 300 or so of the botanicals. Which leads me to what I think is the real lack of this book which is plant identification. There is a photograph for less than half of the plants. And the photo are each hardly larger than an inch square. Not to mention the pictures are generally bad. So you are going to need at least one other herb book--specifically for plant identification. I have mixed feelings about this book. It probably has way more information in it than most people need. And it is more expensive than most can afford. And if the balloon goes up we aren�t going to have access to the 700 botanicals detailed in this book. But on the other hand if it is TEOTWAWKI, I�m going to want some really good books on herbs. And this just might be one of them. - The Memsahib

JWR�s Book Review: Boston's Gun Bible

Boston's Gun Bible stands alone as the very best all-around reference for firearms owners. Not only does it cover practical rifles, pistols, and shotguns in detail, but it has a wealth of valuable information on related subjects such as optics, practical carry, training, legal issues, and legislative issues. The new expanded and updated edition (with 200 extra pages) is fantastic!

This weighty tome is an absolute must for all gun owners. At $28 it isn't cheap, but as I stated before in reviewing the previous edition, it is worth every penny. Boston's observations and conclusions about guns are precisely researched, scientific, and relatively dispassionate. Unlike many other writers in the firearms field, Boston has consistently shown that he is willing to change his mind when presented with logical evidence.

This is a book that may very well save the life of yourself or a loved one. It is also a highly influential book that may contribute in the long run to the restoration of our Constitutional Republic and freedom around the world. Boston's Gun Bible doesn't just whine about the decline of our God-given Constitutional liberties. Rather, it shows practical solutions that individual Citizens can and must take to insure the liberty of future generations. It is nothing short of a monumental work of non-fiction!

Don't just buy one copy. Buy two! You will soon find that you'll need an extra copy to lend out to family members and friends. By the way, if you already have the older edition, then I strongly suggest that you buy the latest expanded edition. This has valuable new information, so is well worth getting a new copy.

As a published writer, I stand in awe of this important piece of non-fiction. It deserves a place of honor on the bookshelf of every freedom-loving Citizen.

JWR's Book Review: How to Find Your Ideal Country Home

How to Find Your Ideal Country Home: A Comprehensive Guide by Gene GeRue. 1999 Edition, Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-67454.
I had my first look at this book back in 1994, when the author contacted me after having read the draft edition of my novel The Gray Nineties. (Which was then available as shareware.) Ay the time, Gene GeRue had just come out with his first edition. I was impressed with how thorough he was. His premises were sound, and his research was excellent. Imagine my surprise this year when I found an updated edition. It is even more thorough, and even more detailed!

GeRue systematically details the criteria to look for in a country home. He hits all of the key factors: climate, topography, soil, vegetation, water, demographics, agriculture, services, taxes, land/home prices, and so forth. He includes a lot of detailed maps.

The author also includes a section on analyzing you. This is important and shouldn't be overlooked. It is important to understand your personal needs, expectations, and personality. Some people just aren't cut out for living in the country! The book also delineates between wants, needs and fantasies. Sometimes people have preconceptions that require a "whack upside the head."

This book is not all "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." There are some great doses of reality--such as finding a job or developing a home-based business before you move to the hinterboonies. He also discusses risks such as flood plains, fire prone regions, prisons, toxic waste, radon gas, incineration, and so on. He also describes the factors in choosing an existing home versus building on bare land.

I highly recommend this book. Referring to the content of GeRue's book as a baseline, you can add the factors that you find important for a true survival retreat. (See my blog posts and Recommended Retreat Locales web page for suggestions.)