Today we are going to flesh out a list of books by title and author that we feel would make an excellent addition to any survival library. If you have some of these books already, then that’s great, but if you haven’t picked up a single survival manual yet, this list should help point you in the right direction.
There are also quite a few survival books that are fiction based. While we suggest refraining from these as educational resources, they might be great additions to the library for entertainment purposes, which will definitely need to be addressed should a long-term SHTF situation occur. The list provided below does contain a few older titles, but the date of publishing is irrelevant; the material contained within them is still as valid and viable today as it was the day it was written. So, take a look and put together a short list of the titles you want to add to your survival library and get started. All material is linked, where possible, to provide you with a one stop shopping experience.
5 Acres & A Dream The Book: The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient Homestead by Leigh Tate.
52 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable by David Nash.
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park.
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) by Angela England.
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals by Gail Damerow.
Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game by John Mettler.
Boy Scouts Handbook (The First Edition) 1911 by the BSA.
Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit by Creek Stewart.
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury.
Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival by Mors Kochandaski.
Free Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom with photography by Kate Baldwin.
Cookin’ with Beans and Rice by Peggy Layton.
Cookin’ with Home Storage by Peggy Layton and Vicki Tate.
Cooking With Ancient Grains by Laura B. McBride.
Cooking with Sunshine: The Complete Guide to Solar Cuisine with 150 Easy Sun-Cooked Recipes by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery.
Countdown to Preparedness: The Prepper’s 52 Week Course to Total Disaster Readiness by Jim Cobb.
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales.
Dinner Is In The Jar: Quick and Easy Dinner Mixes in Mason Jars or Mylar Bags by Kathy Clark.
Doomsday Preppers Complete Survival Manual: Expert Tips for Surviving Calamity by Michael Sweeney.
Disaster Preparedness for EMP Attacks and Solar Storms by Arthur T. Bradley.
Edible Spots and Pots by Stacey Hirvela.
Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate by John Kallas.
Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis by Peggy Layton.
Emergency War Surgery: The Survivalist’s Medical Desk Reference by US Army & the Department of Defense.
EMP Survival: How to Prepare Now and Survive, for When an Electromagnetic Pulse Destroys Our Power Grid by Larry Poole.
Game Plan: How to Protect Yourself from the Coming Cyber-Economic Attack by Kevin D. Freeman.
Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing and Smoking (Meat, Fish & Game) by Wilbur F. Eastman.
Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual by Mykel Hawke.
Hawke’s Special Forces Survival Handbook by Mykel Hawke.
Hobby Farming For Dummies by Theresa A. Husarik.
Holding your Ground: Preparing for Defense if all Falls Apart by Joe Nobody.
How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It by James Wesley Rawles.
Latter Day Saints Preparedness Manual by Todd Assay and Christopher Parrett.
Landscaping With Fruit by Lee Reich.
Liberators: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse by James Wesley Rawles.
Meals in a Jar. Quick and Easy, Just-Add-Water, Homemade Recipes by Julie Languille.
Mini Farming on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham.
One Second After by William R. Forstchen.
Outdoor Life: The Ultimate Survival Manual 333 Skills That Will Get You Out Alive by Rich Johnson.
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles.
Preparedness Now! An Emergency Survival Guide for Civilians and Their Families by Aton Edwards.
Prepper Pete Prepares by Kermit Jones Jr. and Christy Brill.
Prepper Pete’s Gun of a Son by Kermit Jones Jr. and Christy Brill.
Prepper’s Home Defense by Jim Cobb.
Prepper’s Long-Term Survival Guide: Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living by Jim Cobb.
Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel.
Seal Survival Guide. A Navy Seals Secrets to Surviving Any Disaster by Cade Courtley.
SAS Survival Handbook; Third Edition. The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere by John “Lofty” Wiseman.
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance by John Storey and Martha Storey.
Survive! Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere Alive by Les Stroud.
Survival Mom: How to Prepare your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-case Scenarios by Lisa Bedford.
Survival Wisdom & Know How: Everything You Need to Know to Subsist in the Wilderness by Amy Rost.
The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook by American Red Cross.
The Amish Canning Cookbook: Plain and Simple Living at Its Homemade Best by Georgia Varozza.
The Doom and Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook: Keep your Loved Ones Healthy in Every Disaster, from Wildfires to a Complete Societal Collapse by Dr. Joseph Alton and Nurse Amy Alton.
The Ebola Survival Handbook, An MD Tells You What You Need to Know Now to Stay Safe by Joseph Alton.
The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency Used by the Mormon Pioneers by Caleb Warnock.
The Home Survivalist’s Handbook by Christopher Eastin and Ryan Acker.
The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months by Daisy Luther.
The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster by Tess Pennington and Daisy Luther.
The Prepper’s Complete Book of Disaster Readiness: Life-Saving Skills, Supplies, Tactics and Plans by Jim Cobb.
The Prepper’s Pantry: Building and Thriving with Food Storage by Anne Lang.
The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster by Bernie Carr.
The Prepper’s Workbook: Checklists, Worksheets, and Home Projects to Protect Your Family from Any Disaster by Scott B. Williams and Scott Finazz.
The Secret Garden of Survival by Rick Austin.
The Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide by Creek Stewart.
The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide: Self-Reliance Strategies for a Dangerous World by Robert Richardson.
The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve-Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess.
Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own by James Wesley Rawles.
Urban Preppers with Kids, Pets & Parents: Disaster Survival for the Family by James G. Mushen and Rex Michaels.
U.S. Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76 by the United States Department of Defense.
When all Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin.
When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival by Matthew Stein and James Wesley Rawles.
When The Grid Goes Down, Disaster Preparations and Survival Gear For Making Your Home Self-Reliant by Tony Nester.
When There Is No Doctor: Preventive and Emergency Healthcare in Challenging Times by Gerard S. Doyle.
Without Rule of Law by Joe Nobody.
Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart by Joe Nobody.
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America by Lee Allen Peterson.
Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival by Creek Stewart.
100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition: The SEAL Operative’s Guide to Surviving in the Wild and Being Prepared for Any Disaster by Clint Emerson.
The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild by Dave Canterbury.
Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters by D.C. Beard.
The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way by Joe Alton.
Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury.
These are just a few of the titles we recommend adding to your survival library. We will continue to update this list as more books become available for us to read and review.
Excellent list. I would add the Pocket Ref by Thomas J Glover. This, along with a miniature SAS Survival Handbook, go with me everywhere I go, everywhere.
A long walk to water, sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the insight.
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm
Thank you for the reading list. Books to live by :)
Very nice list of books. I have most of them. Lol. I do survival threads as well. I followed and upvoted. Thank you. If you would like to follow me I'm @teotwawkiman. Thanks again.
I haven't read all of the books. But, I have "The Survival Mom" book and the book by Dr Bones and Nurse Amy. Both very informational and easy to read. I also love the lists and common sense ideas that Lisa Bedford has in her book. I'll have to check out some of those other books! Thanks for the list!