Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival (Bushcraft Survival Skills Series)

Great book. Covers the important details of skills and wildlife knowledge. Can even take it with you while outdoors. Researched well, takes from the knowledge brought forth by early age woodsmen, in addition to modern practices. An essential book for my library.

I'm about halfway through it, and so far here are my observations.1. Anyone who knows bushcraft/woodcraft isn't really going to learn much from the book. It is basics.2. It could use more illustrations, for sure. I understand what Dave is trying to say with various things, but someone who is a beginner is going to be like "what?" Some techniques just need to be illustrated rather than tried to explain in words alone. Probably these are some of the pictures the editor cut out.3. The book is remarkably well laid out and organized. I mean really well. It is systematic. Hard to explain, but this is a great book for a sort of Boy Scout field guide, or that type of thing.4. The book, in the gear section, has a gear list which is not only huge and heavy, but names brands like Wetterling and GB, which in my view is not something you should do for a "101" book ostensibly for beginners. I could see someone looking up a GB as a beginner and getting shell shocked by the price. On the flip side, he does explain the qualities you want in the tools such as your knives and axes, and backpacks very well, so if you are a beginner and can't afford a GB (who can? Not me), you still have guidelines on the length and properties of what you want in your tools.Better would have been to take a more "ideally, you want a GB, but you can get good tools with these properties, and here are some manufacturers that make quality tools at affordable prices".Overall, I think it is a very quality and handy book. I think it is more orderly, and therefore a better "textbook for learning", than some other classic books of bushcraft and survival. I think this book is a GREAT teaching tool, the sort of thing a dad and son can bring into the field, and dad use the book to teach his son. I would call it a 10/10 in this category.As a book to become an expert woodsman, or for a total greenhorn to read and learn, not so much. Maybe a 7/10 for a greenhorn....due to lack of illustrations to show some basic woodsman techniques. On this point, I don't think that was in Dave's control, as he lamented all the illustrations the editor cut out.

Me like book. Book good. Book teach. You learn.

Bushcraft 101 is a pleasant source of knowledge for many different expertise levels, the descriptions are well worded although as a beginner myself I prefer more diagrams than what was provided. There were so many useful points that someone could use no matter if they were primitive camping or stranded in the middle of a jungle. Some of the topics that were discussed ranged from tools, your pack and shelter, cooking and cleaning food, fires, ropes, and navigating terrain. There was continued useful information in the appendix sections which detailed ways to conserve your tools and resources, bush recipes, medicinal plants and wild berries, as well as a glossary for almost all of the terms used. The way Canterbury addresses the reader is not as if they are incompetent rather that they do have some knowledge but are not well versed in the survival skills discussed.The book is written from the point of view of a teacher or mentor and has a very simplistic language during the explanations of the skills. As I went through the book I found the glossary to be extremely helpful since I am not well versed in outdoor pertinent terms. The index was also very helpful and would be helpful in the case of practicing the skills after reading the book. It has a thorough list of different sections that point you to where the information you are looking for is located. I also liked how the skills were separated by headers and the book was sectioned into two parts, this made it very easy to go back and find what I needed even without using the index. The separations and headings also gave a sense of organization throughout the book which I feel, makes me more secure when I imaging needing to find something in an emergency. The size of the book is perfect to store within my emergency backpack or any camping bags, the cover is also a little more firm than a regular paperback which leads me to think it could withstand more abuse.One issue that I found when looking over skills is the diagrams are not very descriptive, the knots portion of the book only details the steps of certain knots instead of all knots. The book seems to be geared more towards an auditory learner versus a visual learner, although the verbiage is clear you would have a harder time learning the skills without seeing the step by step directions in some cases. It also does not appear that the author used any outside sources, these seemed to all be skills that the author practices frequently and has learned through experiences. I felt as if the tone of the book was very formal, with verbiage that would be used in a classroom or workshop. This tone throughout the book does take some time to read through due to the lecturing or monotone delivery as would be used in a classroom. As a person who often needs some sort of excitement in my reading choices, this was a harder read to get through only because it was strictly focused on teaching the skills outlined. Although this can also be a positive attribute when you are attempting to find a skill in a hurry when you are out in the field, fewer words to filter through to learn the skill you will need.Personally, upon reading the book, I could not relate to any of the chapters due to my inexperience in the field. There were specific skills outlined within the book such as using a cast iron skillet and some of the fire lighting methods, which I was able to learn quickly and use for a camping trip that came shortly after beginning to read the book. However the more we practice these skills the easier it will be to remember them in the times a survival situation or emergency comes around. I have attempted some of the knots shown in the book and some of the fire-starting information was helpful as well. I found when I have used the information given that it was very helpful and rewarding to see that what skills I was learning were paying off. This made me enjoy the book more than when I had originally begun reading it.