nonfiction. Things learned: how to make fire (carry matches and dry tinder); how to look for water; how to hunt/forage for food; how to build a temporary shelter. If given the choice to consume polar bear liver or seal liver, don't do it--the high vitamin A content is toxic. ( )

The US Army is one of the branches of the United States Armed Forces. It has a long and illustrious history, being founded on 14 June 1775. This book is a printed copy of a Field Manual commissioned by the Department of the Army to train its soldiers in all-terrain, all-climate situations. The book was presumably modified from that version to cater to a civilian audience.

The book is composed of 17 Chapters, 4 Appendices, and an index. There is a slight annoyance with this book in that it doesn’t really have regular page numbers. Instead, each page has the chapter number followed by the page. So for example, the second page in the tenth chapter would be called 10-2. I suppose it makes it easy to go and flip through them, but I think I would have preferred regular page numbers.

The book focuses in on preparation over all else. It is sort of like the Boy Scouts with the Be Prepared motto. It talks about mindset and being familiar with where you are going. Then it goes in order of importance. First aid, making tools on site, procuring water and food, shelter, building a fire, water crossings, direction finding on the field, signaling, survival in different climates, and how to tie knots.

In that it starts with the psychology of survival first, I was reminded of the Green Beret Survival Manual by Myke Hawke. This book goes slightly further by talking about different types of plant and animal life that you might find. It shows pictures of different snakes, edible plants and other really interesting information that I can’t recall the Green Beret version talking about.

I don’t know which one is more practical in a real situation and I hope I never have to find out. ( )

This book deals with survival in the desert, the tropics, under arctic and subarctic conditions and at sea. Topics include treating insect and snake bites, making wooden and stone knives, starting a fire, obtaining water (it details how to make a solar water still and make polluted water drinkable), creating a shelter, finding your direction using the sun and stars--and all sorts of ways of getting food--including the Universal Plant Test. This is an Army manual created by the Department of Defense--it's expert and deadly serious. This is for soldiers in very serious conditions (and no doubt camper and those spending time in the wilderness would find it useful--it's like a grown up scout manual.) But this also makes surprisingly lively reading for an armchair adventurer and can be very useful to a fiction writer trying to get the details of survival right. ( )

military book, military willing to risk losing people for military gain. Some iffy materials for civilian usage. Especially the plant food test.

Rather amazing Army field survival guide purchased from http://www.sciplus.com . ( )