must-have prep books -- post em!
 

I thought it would be interesting to see what types of books folks have procured to help them along if TSHTF. It should be a good opportunity to broaden the subject base of our SHTF books.

I tend along the line that LOCAL food production will be the 'coming thing' soon, when we have a breakdown of food distribution due to various factors, and possible food shortages.

I was in safeway supermarket a few weeks ago, buying sale items. One item was sold out, so I inquired with 'store personel' as to whether they had any of said product in back. The guy laughed, and said theres no food in back, when the truck comes we put its delivery directly onto the shelves.

Whats on the shelves in a grocery store is what is in stock. This particular safeway store services a community/area of over 25,000 people.

Spooky shit man!

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Heres a book on raising, harvesting, and processing your own grains


'Seed to Seed', the definitive guide on how to produce more seed from your open-pollinated seedstock


Post em up!

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

I have the following:

U.S. Army Survival Manual

Storey's Basic Country Skills

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening

"Patriots", a fiction novel, but full of great "Retreat" ideas!

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

I read the SAS Survival Guide back when I was young. It was in my school library. It was good.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

I received about a dozen books from Amazon along these lines in the past month. I will post up the ones I think are worthwhile later.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

Reading an Army manual does next to nothing for you. Just like watching somebody drive a car doesn't make you an experienced driver. Is there some value in it? Sure, but it is basically nothing.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

99% of prep is

Just plain doing it.

Yeah, you will make a million mistakes,

But that is where the real knowledge comes from.


scyth

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

An area where you don't want to learn through mistakes is medicine. Take some more advanced classes to get some hands on training. Then supplement with books written from a longer term care standpoint. I'm a big fan of Medicine for Mountaineering. The newest copy of the the Special Operations Forces Medic Field Manual. Next on the list personally is a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference.

As was stated above, most everything needs to be done repeatedly to be mastered, so join a volunteer squad, or even better join the medical field.

Beyond that, I invest most heavily in poetry. In a time when humans are doing terrible things to one another, we can all do well to remember the beauty we are capable of creating. If I can't survive without retaining some sense of my own humanity, have I really accomplished anything?

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

Wow -

Beyond that, I invest most heavily in poetry. In a time when humans are doing terrible things to one another, we can all do well to remember the beauty we are capable of creating. If I can't survive without retaining some sense of my own humanity, have I really accomplished anything?

Huh -

Been doing that my entire life, and I'm pushing sixty.

Keep on, keep on, no matter how bad it looks.

scyth

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

Four invaluable recommendations:

The Foxfire books
The ultimate sniper
Where there is no doctor
Where there is no dentist

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

I don't understand your assertion at all. The Army manual has alot of info on edible plants, building shelters, emergency medical tips in the field, poisonous snakes, weather forecasting, signalling, hunting, etc. Not many people are going to be fully trained in everything, if and when TSHTF. But saying reading a book containing valuable info does absolutely nothing is crazy. You have to start somewhere, unless you are born with all of these abilities.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

HTTrack - great for downloading websites like GIM and PeakOil.com that have good survival info databases.

http://www.httrack.com/

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

They are also great reference materials for when the power or Internet goes down.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

So, last night just before I went to bed I had written a lengthy post with many recommendations and frigging Internet explorer decides to freeze up on me before I can post it. What a piss off.

I have a few that have been posted already. I am not going to repeat them.

Here is a few I can think of off hand. Basically I try to get books that teach me how to do things without all the modern conveniences of electricity, power tools etc.


Bushcraftby Mors Kochanski - This is specifically geared for surviving in Northern Forests.

Fences, Gates, and Bridges by George A. Martin -First published in 1887. Lots of unique ideas for fence building that I would have never thought of on my own.

Traditional American Farming Techniques by Frank D. Gardner, MaryJane Butters, and James R. Babb - Another 100 year old reprint. Lots of the info is out of date but there is some good info you might not find anywhere else in here as well. Huge book, 1200 pages or so.

Handy Farm Devices by Rolfe(Author) Cobleigh - 1909 reprint. Lots off old school stuff in here as well.

Root Cellaring by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel

Rainwater Harvesting by Brad Lancaster - Not just about Collecting rainwater from your roof but also how to modify the land and soil to maximize the precipitation your land receives. Something I became more concerned with this year after the drought we had in our area.

The Classic Hewn-Log House by Charles McRaven - I really like this one. Want to know how to build a very nice (although primitive), solid and good looking house with hand tools only?

Once I get a chance to look at my library again I might add a few more.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...SH20_OU01_.jpg

The only canning book you need. My copy is a family heirloom at this point, as I am the third generation to use it. Covers several other preservation methods as well such as pickling and salting. Covers all fields, veggies, fruits, ready-made dishes, even canned desserts.



http://img.flipkart.com/bk_imgs/861/9781594622861.jpg

Top-down explaination for how the American Government is supposed to work. My reprint is from 1911. Older is better. This used to be a primer for grade school children. I do not consider it easy reading.



http://pics.librarything.com/picsize...4d414f4541.jpg

"If the War Goes On" by Herman Hesse.

Re: must-have prep books -- post em!
 

Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook