I can’t praise this book enough. I’ve found nothing else like it out there anywhere. It covers traditional shelters of tribes throughout North America. There are shelters for every type of climate and terrain, so much is transferable to other continents. There are photographs and descriptions of many types of shelters, village lay-outs, information on the tribes and their lifestyles and much more. There is enough detailed information that you can learn to build these shelters with minimal knowledge of building techniques. I’ve used this book to design and build multiple types of shelters. Can be a bit spendy, but you won’t find a better resource on shelter design and building. Available on Amazon.
This book was written for boy scouts and contains a wide variety of types of shelters- some survival, some long-term. There are drawings and descriptions to help you create your own. A good means to learn some shelter tricks, and an opportunity to evaluate the pros and cons of a wide range of shelters. Available on Amazon.
Dave Canterbury and Jason Hunt have extensive experience in the wilderness and have created a manual to help with the types of injuries or illnesses that can occur while living outdoors. The book includes very practical information, how to modify things you have into useful items as well as what to pack with you and even includes some herbal remedies to support healing. An all around good guide to help us be more effective in dealing with emergencies in the wild. Available on Amazon.
This unique book as a great deal of information about the development of stone tools. An important focus is on the most simple form of tool making- breaking rocks. It explores the development of tools, how they were made and their many uses. It progresses into finer stone tools, but it is singular in its information on early, simple tool development and use. The skills can be the most practical in emergency or fast moving situations. As the full name implies: The Universal Tool Kit: Out of Africa to Native California… these skills were and can be used world-wide. Available on Amazon.
Can’t praise this video enough. It really makes flintknapping accessible to everyone. When I moved from working glass for practice, to trying to knap stone, I was frustrated with so much waste and damage to the stone and not feeling like I was really understanding why I failed. This video will help you immediately see results and helps you understand how to work with the stone so you can learn a great deal on your own after this initial introduction. I keep hoping for a follow-up video to address common mistakes! Available on Amazon
The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible is a remarkably in-depth analysis of the wooden bow from its construction to its correct use by leading experts in the field. The emphasis is on the history of these weapons and methods for building them from scratch, just as they were made before the advent of firearms. Available on Amazon
This book explores the many uses of cedar in the tribes of NW coastal Indians, including all parts of the tree for shelter, clothing, tools and more. It has extensive information not only on the skills but on the whole relationship of these people with the cedars. Excellent book on many levels. Available on Amazon.
This is another excellent book by archaeologist, Hilary Stewart. To book documents hundreds of tools made from these four materials. The images are drawings, but well detailed and useful. An excellent book to learn about the various tools and how they were used. Out of print, so pricey but available on Amazon.