How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere [Hardcover]

Bradford Angier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

HOW TO STAY ALIVE IN THE WOODS is a practical, readable-and potentially indispensable-manual for anyone venturing into the great outdoors.

Broken down into four essential sections, Sustenance, Warmth, Orientation and Safety, this enlightening guide reveals how to catch game without a gun, what plants to eat (full-color illustrations of these make identification simple), how to build a warm shelter, make clothing, protect yourself and signal for help. Detailed illustrations and expanded instructions, newly commissioned for this deluxe edition, offer crucial information at a glance, making How to Stay Alive in the Woods truly a lifesaver.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rosehips, rich in vitamin C, will remedy scurvy. Poplar, red cedar, elm, and willow are preferable for friction fires. If stuck on a flat, shelterless desert, dig a shallow pit (east-west) to lie in; even a few feet can result in a 100-degree temperature change. This is the sort of information outdoor enthusiasts will find in Bradford Angier's classic guide to survival in the wilderness. Divided into four parts (sustenance, warmth, orientation, safety), How To Stay Alive in the Woods is packed with woodcraft tips and age-old tricks--and it's packable as well, so don't leave home without it. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bradford Angier (May 13, 1910 – March 03, 1997) was a wilderness survivalist and proponent of back to earth living. He authored more than 35 books on how to survive in the wild and how to live minimalisticly off the land.

In 1947 Bradford and his new wife, Vena, were living in Boston Massachusetts. They had long romanticized the life of Thoreau and decided to move to Hudson's Hope, a small town in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, to live off the land. Once there, they found an old prospectors cabin. With the few tools and how-to books they brought with them, they were able to repair the cabin. Bradford then set about learning to hunt and gather wild food.[1]

He eventually started writing survival books. Vena was artistic and hand illustrated several of his books. The couple lived in Canada until the building of the W.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace river near their home forced them to move. They moved to Cambria, California and built a house that was less than 1,000 square feet (93 m2).^[2]

In the 1970s Bradford and Vena returned to Hudson's Hope. In 1972 he wrote the book One Acre & Security in which he discusses how to live organically on only 1-acre (4,000 m2) of land. At this time he had become popular with the back-to-earth movement and was sought out by many people wishing to emulate his lifestyle. He was sometimes referred to as "Mr. Outdoors"^[3]

Two chapters in his book, Wilderness Wife, were almost word for word copies of two chapters from the book The Forest by Stewart Edward White, which was published in 1904. There were no references made to White's book or even footnotes included which stated the text's source.

Bradford died in 1997, a few months short of his 50th wedding anniversary.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; First Edition edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579122213
• ISBN-13: 978-1579122218
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Survival Skills
  • #62 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Instructional

More About the Author

Bradford Angier (1910 - 1997) was a wilderness survivalist and the author of numerous best-selling books on nature, survival, and living off the land.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 95 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good ideas, but a bit outdated... March 10, 2002

By steve

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Although there is a good deal of information to be gained from this book, some of the information is a tad outdated. I have read through several similar books and in my opinion the US Army Survival manual as well as Wilderness Survival by Gregory Davenport does a much better job in helping a camper/hiker feel comfortable in knowing how to take care of themselves or others should the situation arise.

The initial copyright on the book is 1956; the writing style and information show their age... The discussion of wool being the best bet for cold weather seems a bit outdated. The writing style is unique and not the easiest to read. I wouldn't be comfortable if the only survival information I had were Angiers instructions and illustrations. I found that many of the other "survival" books do a much better job in explaining how to do a given task with step by step information. The illustrations leave much to be desired as I couldn't tell most of the edible plant illustrations from the poisonous ones, and I doubt I could match an illustration to an actual plant if my life depended on it...

In my opinion your best bet would be the two other books I mentioned before you considered this one...

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone planning an extended stay in the woods December 8, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Angier's book, How to Stay Alive in the Woods, is a must for all outdoor people. It describes, in detail, how to overcome almost any backwoods disaster. Those who like to take overnight hikes into wilderness areas should be prepared for anything, and this book does just that; it prepares you for everything. I have spent numerous weeks at a time trekking through Alaska, Northern Canada, and the Rockies and have read many books. This is the best wilderness survival book out there.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars How to Stay Alive in the Woods February 15, 2000

By roger william sloan

Format:Paperback

Having read an earlier book by Mr. Angier many years ago I looked forward to a revised and updated version of the tips offered decades ago. Unfortunately I was dissapointed. While many things have not changed in the wilderness, clothing, emergency suplies, and first aid techniques certainly have. Saying that only wool is good enough to keep one warm and to advocate the outdated use of snake bite kits and iodine are examples. I suggest that today's survivalist look for a more modern guide.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book February 28, 2004

By Cacman

Format:Paperback

I have never had to use any of the information contained in this book in a susrvival situation but as a kid I did use the information about trapping and snares to catch rabbits in Alaska as a kid (I'm using the third printing 1966 version.) I also built snow shelters to play in. Everything I tried from this book worked.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Tips for Survival February 20, 2003

By "jlozon"

Format:Hardcover

You are stranded in the woods, alone and scared. Bradford Angier's "How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere" very well may save your life. Throughout the book, Angier gives important information which is also quite interesting. He covers main topics which are the focal point if each chapter. Most ideas and tactics are generally understandable, although the illustrations are downright ridiculous at times. The moments that leave you thinking "that was a brilliant idea" are often interrupted with common sense tips that make you wonder what age group the book is intended for. Detailed explanations of practical knowledge draw attention from several parts of the book, which results in numerous low points. In conclusion, this book makes for a decent read, but lacks the qualities which would make it a book that you would like to own.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, except the pictures January 26, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book is primarily focused on survival in the northwestern United States and Canada. The pictures leave something to be desired, but Angier's descriptions are excellent. The book a bit dated, but for theoose looking to go back to simpler times, the lack of GPS systems and Gore-Tex may be just the thing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining read, but I wouldn't trust it June 25, 2012

By Brett Clark

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is written in a much more literate style than any of the other wilderness survival guides. With some exceptions, it reads well and is interesting and entertaining. If this were a work of fiction, I would probably give it four stars.

However, there are parts of the book that are rife with incorrect information. A verbatim example:
"Being able to identify Polaris, a.k.a the North Star, is of crucial importance in the wilderness. It is typically the brightest star visible to the human eye and can be located after discerning in the solar system the location on an easily recognizable constellation: the Big Dipper"

Passing over the less important fact that no part of the Big Dipper is in the solar system, Polaris is NOT the brightest star. Not even close. It is of middling, unimpressive brightness (and was actually slightly DIMMER in 1956 when this was first written). The falsehood of the statement in the book can be determined by anyone with normal vision who goes outside on a clear night in the Northern Hemisphere. For it to have survived in various printings and editions over the past 50+ years is egregious.

Another example: "The constellation Cassiopeia is better known to most as Orion" This absurd untruth is then compounded by an illustration of "Cassiopeia" that is distorted in shape so that it resembles Orion!!!

This makes me wonder just how many nights the author has spent out under the stars. (Perhaps I should give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he is very nearsighted? Naaah..). If someone follows the "brightest star", that is pointed to by Orion in the manner shown in the illustration, they will be following Sirius, and very definitely not going North (in the Northern Hemisphere, in any case).... This horrible misinformation could get people LOST and subsequently DEAD.

Given these easy to disprove examples, I would feel safer taking up flaming chainsaw juggling than trusting that the edible plant information included is better than the celestial navigation chapter. Read more ›