These are my most recommended survival books to keep as resources in your home library. We’ve written reviews of some of these over the years and included links. There is also a quick list with links if you want to go straight to Amazon to learn more about the book and see reader reviews.
A guide to my recommendations
- Books by The Survival Mom
- Go Straight to Amazon Using These Links
- My Recommended Survival Books Grouped Into Categories
- Fiction, just for the fun & adventure
- Mental Preparedness
- Wilderness and Outdoor Survival
- TEOTWAWKI and SHTF Survival
- Medical Readiness
- Food Storage and Preservation
- Using Food Storage to Create Meals
- Which Do You Recommend?
- Related Gift Ideas Content
Books by The Survival Mom
Do you mind if I include my books in this list of recommended survival books?
- The first is Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst Case Scenarios. It’s a great resource to have for many scenarios; I basically wrote the book I wish I’d had when I first began to prep. Read more details about it here, plus a link to buy it.
- And if there’s a chance you could have to leave your house quickly, also get Emergency Evacuations: Get Out Fast When It Matters Most.
Fiction, just for the fun & adventure
- Stranded: Land by Theresa Shaver
- Lights Out by David Crawford
- One Second After by William Forstchen
Mental Preparedness
- Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzalez digs deep into questions like why some people survive, and others perish after experiencing the same set of circumstances. He looks at specific cases to scientifically examine why people tend to survive. His motivation stems from his father’s own survival in both a military plane crash and being a prisoner of war. Maybe survivalism can be passed down through the genes.
- The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
- The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood
- The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley investigates how humans respond to major disasters and what they did that gave them the ability to survive. Do you know your disaster personality? Survival lessons from The Unthinkable help teach everyday people about their disaster personality, among other survival lessons. Read more of this review of The Unthinkable.
Wilderness and Outdoor Survival
- Bushcraft Basics by Leon Pantenburg
- Survive! Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive by Les Stroud
- Bushcraft series by David Canterbury
- Stay Alive! by John D. McCann
TEOTWAWKI and SHTF Survival
- The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan
- Lights Out by Ted Koppel
- Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag by Creek Stewart
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
- Gardening When It Counts by Steve Solomon
- LDS Preparedness Manual (free download)
- The Modern Survival Manual by Fernando Aguirre
- The Prepper’s Pocket Guide by Bernie Carr
Medical Readiness
- The Doom and Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook by Joseph and Amy Alton
- Prescription for Herbal Healing by Phyllis A. Balch
- When There is No Doctor by David Werner
- Where There is No Dentist by Murray Dickson
- A Surgeon’s Guide to Scavenging Items for a Medical Kit by Ryan Chamberlin
- Living Ready Pocket Manual: First Aid by James Hubbard
Food Storage and Preservation
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry
- Cookin’ with Home Storage by Peggy Layton & Vicki Tate
- Dinner is in the Jar by Kathy Clark
- Food Storage 101 by Peggy Layton
- Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook by Mary Bell
- Food Storage Made Easy by Jodi Weiss Schroeder
Using Food Storage to Create Meals
- 100-Day Pantry: 100 Quick and Easy Gourmet Meals by Jan Jackson
IT’S SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS GETTING IN ON THE PREPPING
THESE DAYS
I AM AND OLD MAN WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN WHAT WE USE TO CALL COUNTRY LIVING
NOW I AM A PAPA
HAHA LOL JUST AND MAN AND OLD ARMY VETERAN
JUST MAYBE I WILL START MY OWN SURIVIAL EMAIL POST
(THE SURVIVAL PAPA )
FOR ONE EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY AND PEOPLE WHO I REALLY DON’T KNOW
ARE ALWAYS CALLING ME TO FIND OUT
WHAT EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET IS SELLING FOR $39.95
PLUS SHIPPING HAHA LOL
LOOK I AM NOT MAKING FUN HERE OF ANYONE
ALL I AM SAYING IS THE TRUTH
HEY I AM VERY HAPPY FOR ANYONE WHO HAS WHAT IT TAKES
TO GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING
BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT THERE TO DAY
NEEDS THIS TYPE OF SERVICE
FOR ONE THEY ARE IN MY DAY WHAT WE WOULD CALLED
JUST TO DAMM LAZY TO WORK AT ANYTHING FOR THEM SELF
SO THESE TYPE OF PEOPLE REALLY REALLY NEEDS THESE KINDS OF WEBSITES
SO KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK (SURVIVAL MOM)
AND HAVE A VERY BLESSED DAY
Is the use of these books free?
Probably not, but you will be able to find used copies on Amazon and https://www.abebooks.com/. There are other used book websites as well.
Lisa, one factor that I think is important is physical fitness. The recommendations should be functional and not gorgeous gym body focused. As a former athlete and retired Army guy, I just default to what I know (not necessarily the best answer!), but selecting a good overall fitness manual for people who don’t have an understanding of fitness might be a worthwhile addition to your list.
Oh my gosh, yes!!! That’s actually the most important prep in many ways. Do you have a suggestion for a good book? One that I would suggest for building stronger legs (so essential in surviving falls, walking longer distances, overall stamina) is Knees Over Toes.
Is there a book by that name or just get one of the logbooks?
Hi Lisa, I’m looking for a book on bushcraft for a 10 year old boy who is a reluctant reader. He loves bushcraft and I’ve found several books online, but I want something that is actually written for children. A lot of what I’ve found seems to be written for adults working with kids. I’m hoping to find something engaging that he will want to read. Any suggestions?
I’m not Lisa but I read your post. My son also was a reluctant reader when he was that age. I tried all kinds of interesting books . Especially topics he liked. We didn’t find out until he was older that he is dislexic. Just a suggestion that he be tested . I wish I had done it sooner than we did. I got my grandson Bush craft 101 by David Canterbury. He likes it.
I’m not Lisa but I read your post. My son also was a reluctant reader when he was that age. I tried all kinds of interesting books . Especially topics he liked. We didn’t find out until he was older that he is dislexic. Just a suggestion that he be tested . I wish I had done it sooner than we did. I got my grandson Bush craft 101 by David Canterbury. He likes it.