SURVIVAL ON LAND AND SEA

I sometimes fantasize about being lost in the middle of nowhere, trying to survive with only the clothes on my back (I usually dream of being in Alaska). The idea of truly being forced to save your life by using common knowledge, patience and a bit of luck is empowering to me.

While Laura and I were on our adventure over New Years I came across this handbook in an antique shop for only a buck! This book was prepared in 1943 for The United States Navy by the Ethnographic Board and the Staff of The Smithsonian Institution. The Ethnographic Board existed for only three and a half years and was set up to be a clearinghouse for the US Governments wartime needs. Their most important undertaking was this book - by 1944 they had distributed 970,000 copies to the Armed Forces.

One of my favorite passages is taken from the second section titled "Men Against the Sea";

All birds are good to eat. Some kinds can be caught on a baited hook and line. Their blood is both nourishing and thirst quenching. The intestines make good bait, and bird skins and feathers may be used for improvised hats or garments. Turtles are also good to eat and their blood is suitable for drinking.

Kinda creepy. Below you will find diagrams taken from the handbook referring to creating your own fishhooks, starting a fire, poisonous plant life and how to find the North Star. I'm pretty psyched with the find.