One excellent way to start learning about survival skills and preparation is through reading books from reputable sources. But with so many on the market, where should you start?
This list, compiled as the best survival handbooks to read and own, are good books to have on hand. Even if all you do is skim through them for now, having them in your home could potentially save your life one day.
I do recommend that you actually read them and practice their teaching now, but I’d rather you have them for later than not have them at all.
LIST OF BEST SURVIVAL BOOKS
The SAS Survival Guide
With over one million copies sold, this is an absolute essential for anyone and everyone. The SAS Survival Guide teaches you how to survive in the wild in any climate. It offers case studies to encourage critical thinking, helping you develop both the knowledge and survival instincts necessary for thriving in times of emergency.
You can even find the pdf (for free) of the shortened SAS Survival Handbook here.
The Survival Medicine Handbook
The Survival Medicine Handbook prepares you for medical emergencies. It teaches responsibility and preparedness in cases when help is too far away. It would be an excellent companion to a place near a first aid kit.
100 Deadly Skills
This book, written by a retired navy seal, contains 100 skills necessary for staying alive in any crisis. It discusses self-defense, surviving in the wild, staying alive in a hostage situation, and surviving natural disasters. The skills are adapted to be understood and executed by civilians.
The Ultimate Survival Manual
This survival manual is designed to help you in urban crises, in natural disasters, and out in the wild. If you want to read a few free pages of this book to see if it’s written in your style, Amazon offers a free sample if you follow the link provided below.
Prepper’s Long-Term Survival Guide
This book is designed for slightly different scenarios than many of the other books recommended so far. Instead of providing preparation for short-term emergencies or disasters, this survival guide prepares you for a long-term social collapse caused by a pandemic or similar emergency. It provides resources and ideas for how to survive until governmental services are restored.
How To Stay Alive In The Woods
For a more detailed account of how to survive in the woods–including finding food, creating shelter, and staying alive–this is a wonderful book to read after completing the more general survival guides mentioned above.
Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants
This guide to edible plants can help you recognize which plants are safe for consumption and which are poisonous look-alikes. In cases of being lost or stranded in the wild, this guide could save your life.
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
The Bushcraft 101 Guide prepares you for your next backdoor adventure. It discusses how to prepare for emergencies, how to protect yourself, and how to collect and prepare food so that you can enjoy the beautiful outdoors.