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

by Cliff Jacobson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

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: Falcon; 2nd edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762704810
• ISBN-13: 978-0762704811
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,168,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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.

6 of 6 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

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.

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" (Washington, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

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.