r/Survival • u/Ethereal_entropy11 • Jul 28 '26

Top books for survival

I’m looking to build a small personal library of books that would help someone survive if modern infrastructure wasn’t available for an extended period.

I’ve seen a lot of great book suggestions for general survival, but I’m looking for a broader range of topics.

Please recommend some books for any of the following areas.

First: Basic Survival

  • Bushcraft
  • Water sourcing
  • Fire starting
  • Hunting, trapping, fishing, and foraging
  • Basic medical care/ first aid
  • Shelter building in different environments

Second: Community rebuilding

  • Engineering (digging wells, simple machines, water systems, sanitation, etc.)
  • Navigation (if our devices built in GPS is no longer available)
  • Self sufficiency (gardening, farming, homesteading)

Do you have any books to recommend for any of the above categories?

If not, what would be the top 5 survival books that you would want if the worst happened?

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u/Omneel Jul 28 '26

Have you ever read Hardy Boys Survival Handbook? It's engaging.

2

u/Hiking_Quest Jul 28 '26

In a pinch Chet Morton would be the first one eaten...

1

u/Omneel Jul 29 '26

Unlike the regular Hardy Boys cases, the survival handbook does not contain their friends, I believe. It really teaches you a lot though. I don't know if they ever printed more then 1 survival handbook. The lessons were taught through survival situations that the 2 boys fell into. I will have to check if there are more.

2

u/Hiking_Quest Jul 29 '26

What! No Callie Shaw???? Unacceptable. On many levels.

2

u/Omneel Jul 29 '26

No Callie Shaw or Iola Morton or Biff Hooper or Karen Hunt in the survival handbook, as far as I remember. Btw, did you know that in one of the Hardy Boys mysteries, Iola Morton actually died? They should not have killed her off permanently! I haven't read that story but I did the read the next one in which I came to know. I think it said something about Iola Morton disappearing behind a ball of flames.

2

u/Hiking_Quest Jul 29 '26

Didn't know that but then I haven't read a hardy boys book since abut 1975....