Reddit mentions of Wildwood Wisdom

http://www.amazon.com/Bushcraft-Outdoor-Skills-Wilderness-Survival/dp/1551051222/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368375342&sr=8-2&keywords=kochanski

http://www.amazon.com/The-Outdoor-Survival-Handbook-Navigation/dp/0312093594/ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Essential-Skills-Tactics-Anywhere/dp/0061373516/ref=pd_sim_b_22

http://www.amazon.com/Wildwood-Wisdom-Ellsworth-Jaeger/dp/0936070129/ref=la_B001K8CVQW_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368375505&sr=1-1

I was given this book when I was 7, my mom signed it "happy adventures"- which ended up being the pinnacle of her parental achievements. Wildwood Wisdom Still have it and still use it. 30 years later.
>This historical guide, originally written in 1945, includes information on making fires, canoeing, using axes and knives, and crafting shelters from hand-gathered materials. Readers also learn about clothing, gear, and useful plants. This book also is an account of life in the 1800s, when survival in the wild depended on one's skill and ingenuity.

relatedly, I found out recently that what we know as the "fire piston" actually has its roots in the "South Seas Fire Maker".

The Iroquois pump drill is detailed on page 140 of the same book.

Here is an album of the relevant pages: http://imgur.com/a/2v64m

I strongly recommend the book. It's called "Wildwood Wisdom" by Ellsworth Jaeger. ISBN: 978-0-936070-12-4

amazon.com

Wildwood Wisdom by Ellsworth Jaeger Found it in the school library when I was 10.

That is exactly my point. There is a core set of skills that people can draw on, regardless of whether they're stuck on a desert island, trying to nail 40 mile days, or want to spend a few days in the woods carving knives.

These common skills are where I see value in exploring lots of different approaches. Reading a variety of sources helps me to develop a broader knowledge base. Folks like Cam and Skurka are as enriching to my outdoor experience as someone like Ellsworth Jaeger. Sure, I'm not ever going to build wood structures or tan deer hide, but these bushcrafters look and read a lot more like proto-distance hikers like Earl Shaffer than you'd think. I like connecting myself to the history of hiking in this way.

At the end of the day, when I'm in the backcountry I look and behave a lot more like an ultralighter than anything else, from my Yama Cirriform and my Cumulus quilt to my KS Ultralight Tao Pack. I feel better doing this because I understand how technology has enabled this change from predecessors, but also because I have some knowledge that might be useful if that technology fails.

Wildwood Wisdom by Ellsworth Jaeger.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildwood-Wisdom-Ellsworth-Jaeger/dp/0936070129

I find anthology books to be helpful.

There's an awesome book called "Wildwood Wisdom" by Elsworth Jaeger that is amazing. You could live anywhere with just this book (although it's written for North America).