The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood [Hardcover]

Frank Miniter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

This is the ultimate handbook for real men, explaining everything from surviving an avalanche and identifying poisonous snakes to picking a great cigar. The metrosexual man may be good at cocktail chat, but a real man knows how to fight off alligators, create a tourniquet out of a t-shirt, and rescue a drowning person. Frank Miniter's "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide" is the ultimate handbook that shows men how to do all of these and more, including: how to fight off a bear; how to treat a snake bite and identify poisonous snakes; how to make a compass; how to set a dislocated joint; and, how to pick the perfect cigar and bottle of wine.Broken into seven sections - survivor, provider, athlete, hero, romantic, cultured man, and philosopher - Miniter teaches guys the skills, attitudes, and philosophies they need to be the ultimate man. Concisely written and packed with real-life anecdotes from Miniter and other men, "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide" teaches guys that the ultimate man isn't an unattainable archetype; any guy can be the ultimate man whether he is rescuing a lost hiker, plucking a child from a swift stream, or standing up against injustice. Whether you're a father, husband, brother, or boyfriend, this book shows you how to be the ultimate man - a man even James Bond would envy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Miniter is the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide[trademark] to Hunting and an award-winning outdoor writer. He is the executive editor of American Hunter magazine and is a former senior editor of Outdoor Life magazine. Miniter is also the ultimate man. He has run with the bulls of Pamplona, snowshoed the Klondike, hunted Russian bear in Kaleria, and has survived everywhere from the Amazon to the streets of Manhattan. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596985704
• ISBN-13: 978-1596985704
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Survival Skills

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Need Heroes, June 18, 2009

By 

Alan Peterson (Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood (Hardcover)

A guy who lives with a poodle probably needs a book about being man more than most. I've hunted and fished all my life. I can start a fire with flint and steel. Lettered in football and soccer. Have travelled to Nepal, Paris, and Siberia (in December). And...fathered three children. But, the poodle can put a significant dent in the manly armor. I wanted Miniter to point out the one thing that could undeniably establish my manly bona fides.

Having enjoyed Miniter's previous book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, I looked forward to this latest. Just the title was enough to insure a read. I didn't know what to expect except for a laundry list of manly activities and events to accomplish with teeth-clenched knives, torque wrenches, and duct tape all shaken not stirred. How to escape an attacking alligator. Check. How to find North without a compass. Check. How to choose a cigar. Check. How to throw a curveball. Check. 100 Manly Movies. Check. If you're looking for checklists, Miniter's book provides significant ones. However, the most important thing that Miniter's book provides is the provocative thesis that real manhood is much deeper than hunting, boxing, tying a bow tie, or rescuing damsels in distress.

The key to The Ultimate Man, is found in the chapter about heroes. Miniter posits that heroic conduct is not a single life-saving moment spawned by desperate need but should be an entire life based on developing and sticking to a moral code of conduct. He's hit the nail on the head--and not just for defining heroism. This is the essence of true manhood. In today's fatherless, entertainer obsessed world, genuine examples of moral, self-disciplined manhood are rare, indeed. And, says Miniter, men have a duty to shake off the fetters of apathy and fecklessness and become MEN. We have a duty and responsibility to teach our sons to become MEN. Men who do not crumble in the face of challenge; men who do not chose the easy path; men who are willing to govern or give up their vices; men who are willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the good of their wives, families, communities, and countries. I cannot help but wonder that the source of the economic and social catastrophes that have turned our world upside down is the lack of Miniter's "Ultimate Men." By the same token, our salvation will be in teaching and preparing a new generation of responsible, daring, and disciplined men. Miniter's Ultimate Man's Survival Guide is a great place to start preparing that new generation and reforming the old.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nicely done handbook of the manly arts that have evaporated a bit in recent decades, June 18, 2009

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood (Hardcover)

OK, so this book is proudly a throwback to the qualities the world admired in a man decades back. Good! Maybe the world is ready for more John Wayne and less Johnny Depp. Although, I think Depp can be a fine actor, he isn't the kind of male icon Wayne was. Despite decades of reculturalization and de-manning, the fact is that men do want to be men. In older times, they learned how to be men from, drum roll please ... other men. Mothers teach their boys a lot of wonderful values and life lessons, but there are things men need to learn from men despite what some women say about men, fish, and bicycles.

This book is divided into six parts:

1) Survivor - you learn about what to do out in nature if you need start a fire, if you are threatened by animals, if you need water, if you are injured, and much more.
2) Provider - You learn about rifles, hand guns, hunting, dressing deer, and fishing.
3) Athlete - How to throw a baseball, shoot a basketball, boxing basics, throwing a forward pass, the golf swing, soccer, some track and field, and climbing.
4) Hero - Codes of honor and conduct from the Texas Rangers, the Marine Corps (a small typo on page 115 show's that perfect editorial skills isn't necessarily needed by a true man - they have the possessive of the Marine Corps and Marine Corp's). the Bushido Virtues, a guide to running with the bulls in Pamplona, how to put out a fire, standing up for justice, how to ford a stream, help someone being electrocuted, how to fight wild animals, and much more.
5) Gentleman - this section seems dated to me. I don't are a fig about cigars, pipes, wine, whisky, or mixed drinks, but maybe you do. That information is here. You also learn how to pick out candy, buy flowers, tie a Windsor knot and a bow tie, and some steps on playing winning poker (good luck with that!).
6) Philosopher - You see a true man is a thinker, too. The author talks about the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, moderation (you know, from Plato). You also get a tour of the Ten Commandments, Buddhism's Eight Precepts, Taosim's Ten Precepts, Ben Franklins 13 rules of Improvement, and more. There is also an article on the "10 Most Many Deaths of All Time.

The appendices tell you how to continue your manly education. For example, the author provides a list of 100 movies you should see.

Each section is nicely illustrated and has side articles about historic men who exemplified the principles being discussed in that chapter. I also want to comment on the nicely sturdy construction of the book. It will stand up to repeated use and that is appropriate for this book because you will want to refer to it again and again and give go through it with your boys.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

51 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff, But Too Short, June 1, 2009

By 

S. Peek (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood (Hardcover)

In the current age, this is a much needed antidote to the cultural feminization of men.

While there is certainly nothing wrong (and lots right) about femininity for women, the American society has been on a crusade to attack masculinity in many ways. That starts with quests to prescribe Ritalin for boys in school for acting like boys and it goes on from there.

Frank Miniter has put together a book that helps to counter this trend. It is divided chapters entitled as follows: Survivor, Provider, Athlete, Hero, Gentleman , and Philosopher. Each one of these has some great content. Here are some examples:

Survivor - emergency gear, navigation, how to make a fire without matches, first aid, and dealing with predatory creatures.

Provider - shooting (firearm and bows), setting a snare, and field dressing game.

Athlete - lots of sports basics and knots. I think the section on knots is one that could and should be expanded a lot for future editions.

Hero - Heroic codes, chivalry, stopping a dog fight, defending the weak, and self defense (another part that should be lengthened).

Gentleman - How to tie bowties and Windsor knots, Gentleman's 20 Rules of Conduct, How to Set a Table, as well as the author's thoughts on vices such as smokings cigars, alcohol, and gambling.

Philosopher - Great moral codes, self improvement, self reliance, and more.

Included throughout the book are portraits of various great men throughout history. There are also two well done appendices that cover '100 Movies Men Should See' and '100 Books Men Should Read'.

I have little quarrel with most of the contents although I personally think that some of Miniter's views on vices is a bit silly. Although many of the areas covered were standard fare in the life education of young boys growing up when I was younger (at least in the West where such things as hunting, fishing, etc. were not only popular then, but still are), many of these are not commonly taught in the age of nonstop TV, video games, etc.

This would be a great gift for the men and boys in one's life. Although it is very good, I would really like to see the author double or triple its content for future printings.