The SurvivalBlog Bookshelf

(JWR's Recommended Books, Magazines, and DVDs)

Jim's "Must Read" Book Lists:

Non-Fiction (I consider these "musts" for your bookshelf):


Fiction (Many of theses are out of print but available via inter-library loan or through Abebooks.com):
Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (Classic nuke scenario)
Pulling Through by Dean Ing (a more modern nuke scenario + a mini nuke survival manual) Not to be confused with my screenplay that has the same title.
Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe out scenario)
No Blade of Grass by John Christopher (Massive crop disease/social breakdown scenario, from the British perspective.)
Vandenburg by Oliver Lange (Invasion scenario) later republished under the title “Defiance”.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Last of the Breed by Louis L’amour

If you enjoy this site, I believe that you will also like reading my novel and screenplay.The latter is currently available for free download.

The Memsahib's Top "Must Have" Book:
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. Sasquatch Books. (Get the Ninth or later edition.) This book is 845 pages of valuable 'how to' country survival knowledge. The first time that I butchered chickens, I used this book. When I needed 15 different ways to fix zucchini I turned to this book, when I wanted to make soap, pickles, jelly, bread from scratch, butter, and cream cheese, I found everything I needed to know in this book!

Other Books Recommended by The Memsahib:
If you intend to raise small livestock, then Garden Way Publishing/Storey Publishing has produced some great handbooks on the subject. I have the following Garden Way books on my shelf:
The Family Cow by Dirk van Loon
Raising a Calf for Beef by Phyllis Hobson
Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk van Loon
Raising Rabbits the Modern Way by Bob Bennett
Raising Sheep the Modern Way by Paula Simmons

The best book on ducks and geese is published by Rodale Press.It is titled Ducks and Geese in Your Backyard by Rick and Gail Luttmann.

The Memsahib's Book Review: Physician Desk Reference (PDR) for Herbal Medicine

Third Edition, 987 pages This is a huge book. (The price is huge too, $59.95) This book has information on over 700 botanicals as well as a new section on nutritional supplements. Each botanical entry gives common names and scientific names. A plant description is given. (Though not good enough to help you recognize the plant in the wild.) It tells the compounds found in the herb and the effects of the compounds. A very strong plus! There is usage (both proven and unproven) for each entry. Mode of administration and sometimes dosage amounts are given. The reason I really like this book is for the section on precautions and adverse reactions. Remember the Hippocratic oath---Do thy patient no harm! (There are many materials on herbs out there which say nothing about overdoses and adverse reactions.) There is a section of color photos of 300 or so of the botanicals. Which leads me to what I think is the real lack of this book which is plant identification. There is a photograph for less than half of the plants. And the photo are each hardly larger than an inch square. Not to mention the pictures are generally bad. So you are going to need at least one other herb book--specifically for plant identification. I have mixed feelings about this book. It probably has way more information in it than most people need. And it is more expensive than most can afford. And if the balloon goes up we aren’t going to have access to the 700 botanicals detailed in this book. But on the other hand if it is TEOTWAWKI, I’m going to want some really good books on herbs. And this just might be one of them. - The Memsahib


JWR’s Book Review: Boston's Gun Bible

Boston's Gun Bible stands alone as the very best all-around reference for firearms owners. Not only does it cover practical rifles, pistols, and shotguns in detail, but it has a wealth of valuable information on related subjects such as optics, practical carry, training, legal issues, and legislative issues. The new expanded and updated edition (with 200 extra pages) is fantastic!

This weighty tome is an absolute MUST for all gun owners. At $28 it isn't cheap, but as I stated before in reviewing the previous edition, it is worth every penny. Boston's observations and conclusions about guns are precisely researched, scientific, and relatively dispassionate. Unlike many other writers in the firearms field, Boston has consistently shown that he is willing to change his mind when presented with logical evidence.

This is a book that may very well save the life of yourself or a loved one. It is also a highly influential book that may contribute in the long run to the restoration of our Constitutional Republic and freedom around the world. Boston's Gun Bible doesn't just whine about the decline of our God-given Constitutional liberties. Rather, it shows practical solutions that individual Citizens can and must take to insure the liberty of future generations. It is nothing short of a monumental work of non-fiction!

Don't just buy one copy. Buy two! You will soon find that you'll need an extra copy to lend out to family members and friends. OBTW, if you already have the older edition, then I strongly suggest that you buy the new expanded and updated edition. This valuable new information is well worth getting a new copy.

As a published fiction writer, I stand in awe of this important piece of non-fiction. It deserves a place of honor on the bookshelf of every freedom-loving Citizen.

 

JWR's Book Review: How to Find Your Ideal Country Home

How to Find your Ideal Country Home by Gene GeRue. 1999 Edition, Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-67454.
I had my first look at this book back in 1994, when the author contacted me after having read the draft edition of my novel The Gray Nineties. (Which was then available as shareware.) Ay the time, Gene GeRue had just come out with his first edition. I was impressed with how thorough he was. His premises were sound, and his research was excellent. Imagine my surprise this year when I found an updated edition. It is even more thorough, and even more detailed!
GeRue systematically details the criteria to look for in a country home. He hits all of the key factors: climate, topography, soil, vegetation, water, demographics, agriculture, services, taxes, land/home prices, and so forth. He includes a lot of detailed maps.
The author also includes a section on analyzing you. This is important and shouldn't be overlooked. It is important to understand your personal needs, expectations, and personality. Some people just aren't cut out for living in the country! The book also delineates between wants, needs and fantasies. Sometimes people have preconceptions that require a "whack upside the head."
This book is not all "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." There are some great doses of reality--such as finding a job or developing a home-based business before you move to the hinterboonies. He also discusses risks such as flood plains, fire prone regions, prisons, toxic waste, radon gas, incineration, and so on. He also describes the factors in choosing an existing home versus building on bare land.
I highly recommend this book. Referring to the content of GeRue's book as a baseline, you can add the factors that you find important for a true survival retreat. (See my blog posts and Retreat Locales web page for suggestions.)

Recommended Subscriptions:

Backwoods Home

Countryside & Small Stock Journal

Home Power

The Idaho Observer

 

Some of JWR's Favorite Movies with Survival Themes:

Proviso: None of these films are suitable for children.

Aliens (Alien 2) The later movies in the series are not worth watching, IMO)

The Andromeda Strain

Black Hawk Down

Braveheart

Brazil

Doctor Zhivago

Empire of the Sun

Enemy at the Gates

Farewell to the King

The Flight of the Phoenix (The original version--made in 1965--starring Jimmy Stewart. The recent remake pales in comparison.)

The Great Escape

Hondo

Jeremiah Johnson

The Mad Max series (Mad Max 2 "The Road Warrior" is by far the best of the three, IMO)

The Magnificent Seven (the American remake of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai)

The Matrix series

The Omega Man (far too many 1970s cliches, but still worth watching)

Open Range (IMHO, one of the better western films made)

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Panic in Year Zero (The corny film that first got me thinking about TEOTWAWKI, when I was a lad)

The Patriot

The Pianist

The Postman (A typically "Hollywood" overblown production, but a good think piece)

Quiet Earth

Red Dawn

Schindler's List (BTW, it is too bad that Spielberg didn't show Oskar Schindler arming his Jewish employees--which is what actually happened)

Serenity (I also highly recommend the short-lived cable TV series "Firefly", from which this feature film spun off. "Firefly" is also available on DVD.)

The Seven Samurai

Shane (IMHO, the best western film ever made)

Soylent Green (This one barely made my list, but you may find it worth watching)

The Terminator series (Terminator 2 is by far the best, IMHO)

Things to Come (1936)

Tremors (more for fun rather than an education)

Victory at Sea (Documentary.)

I've had several SurvivalBlog readers recommend the movie Children of Men (released in 2006). I haven't yet had the opportuity to see it.

Note: If you enjoy movies with survival themes, then you will like reading my "Pulling Through" screenplay (available for free download.)

 

Some of JWR's Favorite Movies (with Other Themes):

Proviso: Most of these films are NOT for children. If you have teenagers, I recommend that you pre-view these films to check their suitability for your kids at their particular ages.

The Abyss

The Best Years of Our Lives

Big Trouble in Little China

Blade Runner

Breaker Morant

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Brother From Another Planet

Buckaroo Banzai

Conspiracy Theory

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Dances With Wolves

Doctor Strangelove

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Groundhog Day

Lawrence of Arabia

The Lord of the Rings trilogy (live action, directed by Peter Jackson)

Metropolis (The Giorgio Moroder re-edit is well done, but you might find that the sound track is distracting--if so, just turn down the volume)

The Passion of the Christ

Prince of Egypt (animated)

The Princess Bride

Raiders of the Lost Ark (The later installments in the Indiana Jones series aren't nearly as good.)

The Right Stuff

A Room With a View

Saving Private Ryan

Secondhand Lions

Sergeant York

Sky Captain

The Third Man

The Thirteenth Floor (IMO this film was probably an inspiration for the Matrix series)

Total Recall

The Train

They Live

Willow

 

Note: I sometimes have a few of the books and DVDs that are on recommended list available at my online Mailorder Catalog. If they aren't listed there, then you can probably find them through:

Ready Made Resources
Mountain Brook Foods
The Ark Institute (Dr. Geri Guidetti)
Get Ready Industries
Nitro-Pak
Lehman's
BooksAMillion.com
Abebooks.com
Abebooks (UK)
Buy.com
eBay.com

Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved by James Wesley, Rawles - www.SurvivalBlog.com™