Basic Essentials Map & Compass, 2nd (rev) (Basic Essentials Series) [Paperback]

Cliff Jacobson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Basic Essentials Series | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

An information-packed tool for the novice or handy reference for the veteran. Distills years of knowledge in an affordable and portable book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Renowned outdoorsman Cliff Jacobson has done it again. In this revised second edition of his classic 'Basic Essentials: Map and Compass,' you'll discover techniques for choosing and using the right type of compass, reading and understanding contour lines and other map features, plotting a course and finding your way through the wilderness, using a map and compass in concert with a GPS receiver, and where to find and order the maps you need. (5 1/2 X 8 1/2, 70 pages, index, appendix, illustrations, black-and-white photos)

Product Details

• Paperback: 70 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; 2nd edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762704810
• ISBN-13: 978-0762704811
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,013,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BIOGRAPHY
CLIFF JACOBSON


Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoor writers and wilderness guides.

Each summer, for more than 30 years, Cliff organized and led canoe trips for the Science Museum of Minnesota into the wilds of northern Canada--paddling many rivers above the Arctic Circle. A retired environmental science teacher (34 years!), Cliff is strongly committed to the ethic of "leave no trace" camping.

Cliff's unique methods are proven by the sweat of pack and paddle and are reminiscent of the days when skills were more important than things. Cliff is a popular speaker; he has presented hundreds of seminars at stores, schools, colleges and Universities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

Cliff is the author of more than a dozen popular books on outdoor skills. His flagship book, Expedition Canoeing, 20th Anniversary Edition, has been called the most authoritative resource available for canoeing the bush rivers of northern Canada. Cliff developed and wrote the Orienteering/Map and Compass, and wilderness ethics materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His unique "Wilderness Meal" activity--which simulates a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area--is among the most popular environmental education activities of all time. It's detailed in his book, Boundary Waters Canoe Camping. Cliff was the chief consultant for the canoeing section in the recent edition of the Boy Scout Field Book (Boy Scouts of America). His popular "ninety minute Forgotten Skills" video (DVD) details the most important campcraft procedures.

Cliff Jacobson is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, a recipient of the American Canoe Association's prestigious Legends of Paddling Award and a member of the ACA Hall of Fame. His hobbies include canoeing and camping (of course!), precision rifle shooting (powder-cartridge and air guns) and driving his 14 year old little red roadster on curvy roads with the top down. He and his wife, Sue Harings, were married in 1992 on a canoe trip down the Hood River (Canada) north of the Arctic Circle. The fully story is in his book, Expedition Canoeing.

You can contact Cliff through his web-site, www.cliff-jacobson.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, basic information for beginners., March 30, 2000

By 

Charles W. Lamica (Orient, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Elements of Map and Compass (Paperback)

This book is a good source of information for people interested in learning how to use a map and compass. It is easy to read, simple to follow, and contains accurate information. As a search and rescue instructor, I've used the concepts in this book to teach map and compass skills to hundreds of teen-aged students.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting Started the Easy Way, July 28, 2000

By 

"bgj8184" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Essentials Map & Compass, 2nd (rev) (Basic Essentials Series) (Paperback)

Basic Essentials is just that--the basics. It's a nice book to get started. You can easily go out and naviagate after reading this book and practicing with your map and compass. I used this book as a reference in teaching Boy Scouts how to navigate in the wilderness. I was disappointed it didn't have more about the sport of Orienteering.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it, May 11, 2006

By 

An Amazon Customer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Essentials Map & Compass, 2nd (rev) (Basic Essentials Series) (Paperback)

After searching for many years on the Internet, of incomplete information on how to use a compass (this book was 1 of the searches), apparently there are 5 ways to use a compass: The functions of a compass are;
1. to maintain a straight line of travel, such as following a bearing;
2. to orient a map, which is just lining up the map with the land to make landmark identification easier;
3. to tell direction, such as taking a bearing from a map;
4. to locate your position by taking several bearings and plotting them on a map;
5. to plan a route, by using your compass as a protractor.

This book does not even tell you that. I wished it would have, because after reading other books (that did not tell you either), it was very confusing (which function of a compass are they trying to teach?).

THIS book only tells you how to take a bearing, then only how to take a bearing (1) with a map, & how to use a compass as a protractor.

But both those methods are only cursory (ie: 2 sentences), & are too vague.

Another downfall of this book (& others), is that it does not have a labelled picture of a compass with the parts of it labelled, also.

The reason this is important as people/books use different terms for the same compass part (ie: orienteering arrow = fixed arrow; or Line of Sight = Bearing Direction Indicator, etc).

This is very confusing & a mistake many books/ webpages make (not having a labelled picture of a compass with the parts named the way they are using).

So this is just a run of the mill book, that you could get the same information for free on the Internet.