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Best Survival Books

Explore the ultimate collection of survival guides and tales of endurance, curated from the web's leading book blogs. Each recommended read is a testament to human resilience, ranked by the frequency of its appearance across respected articles.

Recommendations from 81 articles, Emma Watson, Richard Branson, Anna Kendrick and 48 others.
Best Survival Books
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SAS Survival Handbook book cover
SAS Survival Handbook
The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere
John Wiseman - 2004-03-01 (first published in 1986)
Goodreads Rating
This ultimate guide to survival is the go-to companion for adventurers everywhere. From navigating unfamiliar terrain and finding food in the wild to defending yourself and saving others in dangerous situations, this bestselling handbook covers it all. With updated urban survival tips included, this complete guide by SAS legend John Wiseman will prepare you for any situation in any climate. Learn the latest resilient techniques and technologies for surviving disasters and unstable environmental conditions, and get ready for your next adventure.
Bushcraft 101 book cover
Bushcraft 101
A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
Dave Canterbury - 2014-09-01
Goodreads Rating
Explore the backcountry like never before with expert survivalist Dave Canterbury. In Bushcraft 101, Canterbury provides valuable advice on navigating the wilderness, including tips on choosing the right items for your kit, crafting tools and supplies, collecting and cooking food, and protecting yourself from the elements. Based on the 5Cs of Survivability, this ultimate resource will arm you with the essential skills you need to fully enjoy and reconnect with nature. A New York Times Bestseller in Sports and Travel!
Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide book cover
Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide
Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living
Jim Cobb - 2020-03-08 (first published in 2014)
Goodreads Rating
"Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide" is the ultimate resource for anyone seeking to prepare their home and family for a potential long-term disaster. Written by a lifelong prepping expert, the book is packed with practical techniques, strategies, and DIY projects that cover important topics such as water collection, food storage and growth, first aid, and fortification. Whether you're facing a pandemic, grid failure, or other long-term crises, this guide teaches you how to survive and build a new society from scratch. Prepare yourself for any life-threatening situation with this step-by-step survivalist guide.
How to Stay Alive in the Woods book cover
How to Stay Alive in the Woods
A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere
Bradford Angier - 2001-11-01 (first published in 1956)
Goodreads Rating
Surviving in the wilderness just got easier with this practical and essential guide. Divided into four sections - Sustenance, Warmth, Orientation, and Safety - learn how to catch game, identify edible plants, build a warm shelter, make clothing, protect yourself, and signal for help. Complete with detailed illustrations and expanded instructions, this book is a must-have for any survival kit.
98.6 Degrees book cover
98.6 Degrees
The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
Cody Lundin - 2003-06-23
Goodreads Rating
Survival skills are a must, no matter where you find yourself. In 98.6 Degrees, the director of the Aboriginal Living Skills School shares essential wisdom on keeping your body's core temperature at a safe 98.6 degrees. With an entertaining and informative style, this ultimate survival guide covers modern skills for any environment, making it invaluable for any adventure-seeker.
Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag book cover
Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag
Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit
Creek Stewart - 2012-05-18
Goodreads Rating
Create Your Perfect Bug Out Bag with expert advice from Creek Stewart. This essential guide will show you how to build a self-contained disaster preparedness kit, complete with water, food, shelter, and essential tools, to help you survive for 72 hours in the event of an unexpected emergency or disaster. Don't wait until it's too late - be prepared to leave your home at a moment's notice with the help of this practical and comprehensive book.
Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual book cover
Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual
Essential Strategies For
Mykel Hawke - 2009-06-09
Goodreads Rating
This comprehensive survival manual is a must-read for anyone looking to learn outdoor survival techniques, from shelter and water to tools and medicine. Expertly authored by U.S. Special Forces Captain and survival pro Mykel Hawke, the book features engaging illustrations and practical instruction on everything from navigation to food and fire. With a matter-of-fact attitude, Hawke's impressive background in survival makes this guide stand out from the rest.
When All Hell Breaks Loose book cover
When All Hell Breaks Loose
Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
Cody Lundin - 2007-09-20 (first published in 2006)
Goodreads Rating
Learn vital survival psychology and skills to navigate disasters with expert Cody Lundin's new book, tackling topics like first aid, hygiene, and survival kit must-haves. Perfect for families who want to prepare and educate themselves in case of emergency, whether at home, in the office, or on the road.
Advanced Bushcraft book cover
Advanced Bushcraft
An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
Dave Canterbury - 2015-07-03
Goodreads Rating
In "Advanced Bushcraft," survivalist Dave Canterbury takes readers beyond the basics of bushcraft to teach advanced techniques for thriving in the wilderness with little or no equipment. This New York Times bestselling guide covers skills like tracking, crafting medicines from plants, and navigating without a map or compass. Canterbury also offers tips for improvising and saving money on essential tools, allowing readers to truly immerse themselves in the wilderness. Whether you're a seasoned explorer or a newcomer to the outdoors, "Advanced Bushcraft" is the perfect resource for taking your wilderness experience to the next level.
Survive! book cover
Survive!
Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere - Alive
Les Stroud - 2008-11-11
Goodreads Rating
Survive! is an up-to-the-minute survival guide that teaches readers how to stay alive in the wild, jungle, desert, and even in urban disasters. Written by the creator of Survivorman, Les Stroud, this practical guide offers essential skills and tactics necessary to endure in any corner of the globe. Readers will learn how to make a survival shelter, locate food and water, and trap small animals. Whether you're seasoned in the outdoor arts or are new to adventuring, Survive! will enhance your ability to focus on the main goal when everything else has gone wrong: survival.
The Survival Handbook by Colin Towell
Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales
When The Grid Goes Down, Disaster Preparations and Survival Gear For Making Your Home Self-Reliant by Tony Nester
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills by John McPherson
The Prepper's Pocket Guide by Bernie Carr
How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It by Rawles James Wesley
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
Survival Hacks by Creek Stewart
Wildwood Wisdom by Ellsworth Jaeger
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Alive by Piers Paul Read
Edible Wild Plants by Lee Allen Peterson
The Ultimate Survival Manual by Rich Johnson
Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by D. C. Beard
U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook by United States Air Force
U.S. Army Survival Manual by Department of Defense
The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild by Dave Canterbury
100 Deadly Skills by Clint Emerson
How to Eat in the Woods by Bradford Angier
Wilderness Survival by Gregory J. Davenport
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Edible Wild Plants by Thomas Elias
Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival by Tom Brown Jr.
Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen
The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl
Adrift by Steven Callahan
100 Deadly Skills by Clint Emerson
Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King
Bushcraft First Aid by Dave Canterbury
Survival Wisdom & Know How by The Editors of Stackpole Books
The Modern Survival Manual by Fernando "Ferfal" Aguirre
Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual by Tim MacWelch
When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein
Special Forces Survival Guide by Chris McNab
Just in Case by Kathy Harrison
127 Hours by Aron Ralston
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Survival Mom by Lisa Bedford
Essential Bushcraft by Ray Mears
The Prepper's Blueprint by Tess Pennington
Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg
Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family by Arthur T. Bradley
Prepper's Natural Medicine by Cat Ellis
The Prepper's Water Survival Guide by Daisy Luther
Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
Mountaineering First Aid by Jan Carline
438 Days by Jonathan Franklin
Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger
Bushcraft Illustrated by Dave Canterbury
Lights Out by Ted Koppel
Woodcraft and Camping by George W. Sears
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
Mountaineering by The Mountaineers
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide by Bob Mayer
Prepper's Home Defense by Jim Cobb
Patriots by James Wesley Rawles
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide by Amy Alton
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell
The Stand by Stephen King
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry
Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North American by Steven Foster
The Forager's Harvest by Samuel Thayer
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
Back to Basics by Abigail Gehring
Edible Wild Plants by John Kallas
The Trapper's Bible by Eustace Hazard Livingston
Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills by Creek Stewart
The Doom and Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook by Joseph Alton
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Lights Out by David Crawford
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
Root Cellaring by Mike Bubel