S.A.S. Encyclopedia of Survival

The SAS Encyclopedia of Survival is one of the best in its' class! I fully recommend it to anyone seriously interested in valid survival techniques. I spent several years living in the Andes and remote jungle areas of South America and I believe that I can recognize a decent survival manual when I see one. Many survival books being sold are worthless in the field, as their content depends on items that need to be packed in. Barry Davies's book is not one of those. The book covers the topics most often discussed in other books such as shelter, fire and food, but the outstanding thing about the book is that it also has specific chapters on survival in Arctic, desert, and jungle areas. The pictures found throughout the book are great although some like the ones showing snares could be supported with illustrations as the photos are too vague to show any details. An interesting chapter in evading capture is the frosting on the cake for the book. This book is easy to read, not being dry like so many military manuals. The advice is sound and practical, and can be applied easily using common sense. I would reccomend it for anyone traveling to the wild areas of South America because it teaches you what to do to save yourself when working or traveling in an area where there are no ranger stations or local search and rescue teams. The chapter on survival medicine is also superior to that found in most other books. A great reference in any outdoorsman's library! ([email protected]) Please don't publish my email with this review unless it is required to enter the Book Review Contest.