The best survival tool anyone could possibly have in an emergency situation consists of the knowledge and skills required to stay alive without help from others.
More than any other single object you might possess, knowledge and skill will get you through a difficult period, so that you live to fight another day.
The 25 books below are perfect examples of this truism, because they contain all the knowledge you’re likely to ever need if you’re actually put to the test, and are obliged to survive on your own in a wilderness setting.
Each one of these books has something special to offer, and you could read any one of them, and be well-equipped with that best possible wilderness tool – knowledge.
Top 25 Survival Books Ever Written
1. Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness
All the primitive skills and techniques you could ever need are described in this how-to manual, which is should be considered essential reading for all survivalists.
2. Wilderness Survival: 2nd Edition
The focus of this book is on signaling, personal protection, and doing what’s necessary to secure food, water, good health, and necessary travel.
3. The Doom and Bloom Survival Medical Handbook
This book is intended for those who are not medical professionals. It will guide you on how to provide medical care in an emergency, when you don’t think any help will be forthcoming.
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4. How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter, and Self-Preservation Anywhere
You’ll find detailed explanations of wilderness survival in this book, and they’re broken down into four convenient sections: safety, warmth, sustenance, and orientation.
5. Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters
Written by one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America, this book provides a wealth of information on outdoor wilderness shelters and survival techniques.
6. The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood
This isn’t a typical survival guide, because it covers some pretty specific topics such as setting a dislocated joint, fighting off a bear, and how to pick the right wine.
7. Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival
A survival guide written by one of the most legendary survivalists in the world – Mors Kochanski, this book just can’t be ignored when looking for survival information.
8. Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late
If a natural disaster occurs, or if society in general were to collapse, this book will guide you through what to do, and how to survive.
9. Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense it it All Falls Apart
Stressing home defense and personal defense, this book explains what you should do if chaos descends on your community.
10. U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76
This is the official guide on how to live out in the wilderness without any of the comforts or luxuries that attend normal life.
11. Survive! Essential Skills and Tactics to get You Out of Anywhere – Alive
The difference with this survival manual is that it approaches survival from a number of different climates and geographies, instructing you how to use what’s available to stay alive.
12. Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual
This survival manual covers a broad range of topics, including tools and medicine, navigation and signaling, water and shelter, and even the psychology of survival.
13. OUTDOOR LIFE – The Ultimate Survival Manual – 333 Skills that will get You Out Alive
A number of different scenarios are treated in this manual, for example natural disasters, emergency situations, and wilderness survival.
14. Wildwood Wisdom
This manual was originally written in 1945, and it covers things like knives and axes, canoeing, building shelters, and making fires.
15. Survival Wisdom & Know-How: Everything You Need to Know to Subsist in the Wilderness
A whole catalog of survival information is crammed into this manual, for instance, edible plants and berries, tying knots, tracking animals, and building outdoor shelters.
16. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
Some unusual topics are covered in this handbook, such as delivering a baby, defusing a bomb, and surviving the collapse of society.
17. Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival
If the whole world comes crashing down around you, this book will guide you through the process of staying alive and thriving.
18. The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for when Help is not on the Way
This book will help prepare you for many medical emergencies when you know that there is no medical help available.
19. The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse
The information in this manual was derived from the 2001 economic collapse which occurred in Argentina. It discusses topics like preparing your household for disaster, how to fight off invaders, etc.
20. Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography
This is the action-packed account of the life of legendary TV star Bear Grylls. It’s not only exciting, but it’s loaded with great survival information.
21. Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit
This book includes information on everything you’ll need to include in your bug-out bag, and how to use those things to stay alive.
22. 98.6 Degrees – The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
Everything you could ever want to know about bushcraft and survival is included in this book written by Cody Ludin, famed for his Discovery Channel series, Dual Survival.
23. Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
This unusual book analyzes stories of people who successfully survived a crisis, as well as those who did not, and draws some powerful conclusions.
This very informative book contains information on how to survive on your own, which vegetables to plant, which animals to raise, and which foods you should stockpile.
25. SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea
This is an extremely popular book, which is based on the Special Air Service training program for survival. It contains information on how to survive under virtually any circumstances.
BONUS: Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
“With advice on not just getting along, but truly reconnecting with the great outdoors, Dave Canterbury’s treasure trove of world-renowned wisdom and experience comes to life within these pages.” —Bustle
