Mainly for those who haven't seen it....
Book review: Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills by John and Geri McPherson
Publisher: 1993 edition, 13th printing (2000), soft cover
Prairie Wolf
POB96
Randolph, KS 66554
www.prairiewolf.net
ISBN#: 0-9678777-7-6
Price: Sorry folks, I do not remember and it is not printed on cover. My best recollection is ~$24.
Number of pages, illustration: 408 pages with 'over 700 photographs and a coupla dozen line drawings'. Very well-illustrated with good quality (=sharp+tone-rich) black'n'white photos. Many photos show step-by-step stages of techniques and are very helpful. Only some of the trap photos and drawings are more difficult to follow. That is, however, a difficulty for most survival books.
CONTENTS:
Broken up into 30 -50 pages long chapters and separate topics within the chapters that represent sequential steps of a process (e.g. skinning) or separate tools or techniques (e.g. primitive cooking methods). Organization is clear and rational and makes reading chapters and sub-chapters individually possible. You don't have to read it from cover to cover to learn more about one particular technique. Has no index. It gives reference to other publications where author felt it necessary.
1-Brain Tan Buckskin
Summary (explanation of epidermis structure, ideal scraper, timetable of tanning)
Materials (with few metal tools as the knife and scraper)
Skins
Framing and Fleshing
Surface Preparation
Braining
Sewing of Holes (to deal with those tears, holes and other unwanted discontinuities; NEW TO ME)
Finishing
Smoking
Hair on (to make pelts and robes)
Sewing with Sinew (how to get, prepare and use sinew threads; NEW TO ME)
2-Primitive Fire and Cordage
Bow Drill (18 pages dedicated to this technique and its tricks)
Hand Drill
Cordage (plant fibers, bark fibers, sinew, and rawhide)
3-Makin' Meat-1
The Bow (sinew-backed reflex bow with a knife and some stone tools, glue and string included)
The Arrow
4-Makin' Meat-2
Traps (30 pages: his favourite trigger system, deadfalls, snares, birdnet-ANY HAMMOCK SHOULD DO, gorge fish hooks, fish traps)
Gathering
Atlatl
Insects
Meat Preservation (pemmican)
5-Primitive Wilderness Cooking Methods
In the Coals (whole field mouse roasted on coal-YUK, clay cooking, ash cake)
Broil
Baking (in ground pit)
Boiling (GOOD DETAILED instructions for hot rock cooking in animal skin in ground pit, why rawhide buckets do not work over fire)
6-Deer from Field to Freezer
Field Dressing (of deer WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-NEW TO ME)
Skinning (WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-NEW TO ME)
Head and Leg Removal (WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-DO YOU WANT HORROR?)
Sinew Removal (with wood stick and stone blade)
Removing Loins and Tenderloins
Cutting up of Carcass (with STONE TOOLS again)
Meat Cutting
7-Containers-1 (found VERY USEFUL)
Baskets (simple and understandable)
Coiled Baskets (more tricky)
Bark Container
Stone (soapstone and limestone)
Animal Parts (tanned skin, RAW SKIN containers)
Wood (improvised water bowl from 'waterproofed' tree bark)
8-Containers-2, Primitive Pottery (26 pages of info and know-how, still seems to be a bit unpredictable process)
Clay
Temper
Construction
Firing
9-Primitive Tools, Making and Using Them (NO STEEL TOOLS in this chapter!!!, chapter quickly changes format a bit to challenge reader)
Basic flintknapping (safety, flint, techniques of working flint, rules, platforms, support, discoidal, bi-polar, recommended literature)
Shell
Sandstone
Wood
Bone and Antler
Digging Stick
Awl
Celt
Hafting
Adze
Vise
Working with The Tools
Making A Primitive Bow
(left out from contents but there are: Wooden Bowl, Mano and Metate, Mortar and Pestle)
10-Primitive Semi-Permanent Sheelters
Description
Wickiup
Lean-to
Thatched Wickiup
Generic Shelter
PROS:
-Lotsa good photos and descriptions in simple and understandable language.
-Primitive techniques demonstarted with simplest tools and materials (e.g. butchering deer with primitive stone tools that does not require artistic flintknapping).
-Personal evaluation/preference of materials is given based on experience so reader does not need to rediscover all of these (e.g. rawhide bucket does not work).
-Describes few methods in DEATAILS that WORK and work the best for him without listing all other more complex ones.
-Although the techniques are ALL PRIMITIVE one can use them even in the presence of more modern tools (knife, axe) or in COMBINATION WITH MODERN techniques (e.g. shelter building, cord and container making, field dressing).
CONS (none is a problem but rather things that stem from the focus of the book):
-As expected, it is about PRIMITIVE WILDERNESS LIVING, not about modern survival techniques. Don't expect any modern stuff in it. It is a trip BACK TO STONEAGE. Most of the techniques need some skills IMO that you might gain with the help of this book but do not come naturally. Also, do not look for navigation or 'how to find water' skills.
-It seems to be based strongly on Native North-American techniques, Northeast Kansas materials and, naturally, might not work as well in very different environments (e.g. South American rain forests or subarctic regions).
-The last print at least is a fusion of ten books that are continuations of each other. The text refers to these books back and forth that might be a bit confusing. However, it never constitute a problem.
-It has no index that I always like to have but it is not a problem as chapters are well-organized and topics are easy to find.
FINAL WORDS: A very good book for those who are interested in PRIMITIVE WILDERNESS LIVING or want to be prepared to use those skills as a last ditch.
HM
[This message has been edited by HM (edited 05-28-2001).]
[This message has been edited by HM (edited 05-28-2001).]
Book review: Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills by John and Geri McPherson
Publisher: 1993 edition, 13th printing (2000), soft cover
Prairie Wolf
POB96
Randolph, KS 66554
www.prairiewolf.net
ISBN#: 0-9678777-7-6
Price: Sorry folks, I do not remember and it is not printed on cover. My best recollection is ~$24.
Number of pages, illustration: 408 pages with 'over 700 photographs and a coupla dozen line drawings'. Very well-illustrated with good quality (=sharp+tone-rich) black'n'white photos. Many photos show step-by-step stages of techniques and are very helpful. Only some of the trap photos and drawings are more difficult to follow. That is, however, a difficulty for most survival books.
CONTENTS:
Broken up into 30 -50 pages long chapters and separate topics within the chapters that represent sequential steps of a process (e.g. skinning) or separate tools or techniques (e.g. primitive cooking methods). Organization is clear and rational and makes reading chapters and sub-chapters individually possible. You don't have to read it from cover to cover to learn more about one particular technique. Has no index. It gives reference to other publications where author felt it necessary.
1-Brain Tan Buckskin
Summary (explanation of epidermis structure, ideal scraper, timetable of tanning)
Materials (with few metal tools as the knife and scraper)
Skins
Framing and Fleshing
Surface Preparation
Braining
Sewing of Holes (to deal with those tears, holes and other unwanted discontinuities; NEW TO ME)
Finishing
Smoking
Hair on (to make pelts and robes)
Sewing with Sinew (how to get, prepare and use sinew threads; NEW TO ME)
2-Primitive Fire and Cordage
Bow Drill (18 pages dedicated to this technique and its tricks)
Hand Drill
Cordage (plant fibers, bark fibers, sinew, and rawhide)
3-Makin' Meat-1
The Bow (sinew-backed reflex bow with a knife and some stone tools, glue and string included)
The Arrow
4-Makin' Meat-2
Traps (30 pages: his favourite trigger system, deadfalls, snares, birdnet-ANY HAMMOCK SHOULD DO, gorge fish hooks, fish traps)
Gathering
Atlatl
Insects
Meat Preservation (pemmican)
5-Primitive Wilderness Cooking Methods
In the Coals (whole field mouse roasted on coal-YUK, clay cooking, ash cake)
Broil
Baking (in ground pit)
Boiling (GOOD DETAILED instructions for hot rock cooking in animal skin in ground pit, why rawhide buckets do not work over fire)
6-Deer from Field to Freezer
Field Dressing (of deer WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-NEW TO ME)
Skinning (WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-NEW TO ME)
Head and Leg Removal (WITH CRUDE STONE TOOLS!!!-DO YOU WANT HORROR?)
Sinew Removal (with wood stick and stone blade)
Removing Loins and Tenderloins
Cutting up of Carcass (with STONE TOOLS again)
Meat Cutting
7-Containers-1 (found VERY USEFUL)
Baskets (simple and understandable)
Coiled Baskets (more tricky)
Bark Container
Stone (soapstone and limestone)
Animal Parts (tanned skin, RAW SKIN containers)
Wood (improvised water bowl from 'waterproofed' tree bark)
8-Containers-2, Primitive Pottery (26 pages of info and know-how, still seems to be a bit unpredictable process)
Clay
Temper
Construction
Firing
9-Primitive Tools, Making and Using Them (NO STEEL TOOLS in this chapter!!!, chapter quickly changes format a bit to challenge reader)
Basic flintknapping (safety, flint, techniques of working flint, rules, platforms, support, discoidal, bi-polar, recommended literature)
Shell
Sandstone
Wood
Bone and Antler
Digging Stick
Awl
Celt
Hafting
Adze
Vise
Working with The Tools
Making A Primitive Bow
(left out from contents but there are: Wooden Bowl, Mano and Metate, Mortar and Pestle)
10-Primitive Semi-Permanent Sheelters
Description
Wickiup
Lean-to
Thatched Wickiup
Generic Shelter
PROS:
-Lotsa good photos and descriptions in simple and understandable language.
-Primitive techniques demonstarted with simplest tools and materials (e.g. butchering deer with primitive stone tools that does not require artistic flintknapping).
-Personal evaluation/preference of materials is given based on experience so reader does not need to rediscover all of these (e.g. rawhide bucket does not work).
-Describes few methods in DEATAILS that WORK and work the best for him without listing all other more complex ones.
-Although the techniques are ALL PRIMITIVE one can use them even in the presence of more modern tools (knife, axe) or in COMBINATION WITH MODERN techniques (e.g. shelter building, cord and container making, field dressing).
CONS (none is a problem but rather things that stem from the focus of the book):
-As expected, it is about PRIMITIVE WILDERNESS LIVING, not about modern survival techniques. Don't expect any modern stuff in it. It is a trip BACK TO STONEAGE. Most of the techniques need some skills IMO that you might gain with the help of this book but do not come naturally. Also, do not look for navigation or 'how to find water' skills.
-It seems to be based strongly on Native North-American techniques, Northeast Kansas materials and, naturally, might not work as well in very different environments (e.g. South American rain forests or subarctic regions).
-The last print at least is a fusion of ten books that are continuations of each other. The text refers to these books back and forth that might be a bit confusing. However, it never constitute a problem.
-It has no index that I always like to have but it is not a problem as chapters are well-organized and topics are easy to find.
FINAL WORDS: A very good book for those who are interested in PRIMITIVE WILDERNESS LIVING or want to be prepared to use those skills as a last ditch.
HM
[This message has been edited by HM (edited 05-28-2001).]
[This message has been edited by HM (edited 05-28-2001).]
