Product Description

Ray Mears is well known to millions of television viewers through his acclaimed series Tracks, Ray Mears World of Survival and Ray Mears Extreme Survival.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #239277 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
TV's extreme survival expert Ray Mears has lived off the land in the world's most inhospitable places, and Bushcraft is a coffee table-style encapsulation of that hard-won knowledge and experience. Aspiring travellers will find hundreds of life-saving tips here, and even if you plan to stick pretty closely to the beaten track (say, your garden), the specialist information contained in chapters on survival essentials like finding and purifying water, establishing fires and shelter, cordage (the joys of making your own string), and living off the land (grubs and the like), is fascinating in itself--in the tradition of TV's finest "natural history" output.

Elsewhere, Mears establishes some basic principles about equipment--with brief guides to the right sort of knives, axes, rucksacks etc--and runs through his own kit for the various climates of the world. But be warned, it's doubtful whether this information will do more than arm you with the ability to make semi-informed choices in the shop. Will this book prepare you for the world's wildernesses? Yes and no. It is an entertaining, informative introduction to the survival mindset which will have even the sofa-bound thirsting for adventure, but aside from the solid core knowledge--which regular wanderers will find pitched at roughly intermediate level--the region-specific practical information looks sketchy.

"Knowledge is invisible and weighs not at all", Mears suggests. This large-format glossy hardback book, however, packed with illustrations and colour photographs, is not designed to be a field guide. Travellers looking to pack knowledge in their rucksacks would be better served by either the Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide or Mears' own paperback Outdoor Survival Handbook, which contains much of the same basic information. These shortcomings aside, it's undeniable that something magical happens when you tap into a survival expert's ways of thinking about food, water, shelter and healthcare (feet first)--and Bushcraft is an intriguing blend of life-over-death practicality and pared-down philosophy that will shine a new light on most readers' urbanised, consumption-driven lifestyles. --Alex Hankin

Synopsis
Popular survival expert Ray Mears presents a richly illustrated compendium of practical skills and wisdom, relevant not only to wilderness survival, but also urban life. The book contains step-by-step guides to a wide range of survival techniques, as well as accounts of Ray's own experiences and his bushcraft philosophy.

From the Publisher
This book has been almost two years to the day in the making, with Ray having to fit the writing into his hectic schedule making the six one hour programmes for his latest BBC TV series 'Extreme Survival'. Ray had a very clear vision for the book. It had to be in a user friendly format and he wanted to make it unique among such books in having step-by-step picture sequences - not drawings. Ray was very concerned that readers should be given authentic, accurate information - whether in words, drawings or photographs. If Ray wasn't a superb photographer this book would not have been possible: every technique described and photographed has been tested by Ray. We were also fortunate that Ray was able to introduce Ben McNutt to the project. Ben had done many of Ray's courses and taught them as well, so he was able to provide accurate drawings. Fitting together the text, 200+ photos and 100+ drawings was an epic job undertaken with immense skill and good humour by designer Ned Hoste. Working on the book has been a journey in itself and we're all very proud that, at last,the book is published. We hope you enjoy it.

Customer Reviews

Bleeding deadly buzz
I found this book rather useful as I have been doing basic survival stuff for some years now. I found his book to be very informative and built up my skill set for such adventures.
I like pictures. They help me with my learning as it is hard for me to grasp simple things in fact I have a hard time writing this.Its hard living in the wilderness on you're own, no company except for the dampness. Then when night comes it gets scary and nothing to do but think about your deepest fears.
Anyway I think this is a good book but I'm afraid to leave the house these days.

Very entertaining, but not really very usefull.
This book works really well as a companion to Ray Mear's many TV series. It is full of great info on survivial techniques from making fire to building a shelter. There are some gorgeous pictures of alpine and other remote landscapes, and some great step by step pictorial guides to outdoors techniques.

But this is a big hardback book - more of a coffee table edition than a survival manual. You would be hard pressed to take this one out into the wilds. You might need a good memory to carry some of the ideas outlined into the woods.

But it will give you a greater apprecaition of what can be done out there, and you could probably learn enough to impress friends with off the cuff remarks like 'you can use the joo-joo bush to build a house for four' or 'the Nngati tribe of Polyponesia use shells like that as hair grips'.

Or you could just just sit back, enjoy the pictures, and dream yourself away into the wilderness.

An excellent reference book.
I found virtually all of the essential information included here in Ray Mears' more recent release "Essential Bushcraft" which has to be my favourite of all his "survival" books.

The more recent presentation is by comparison a far more compact handbook and notably suitable as a companion on any expedition/trip.

Although Ray Mears here again reveals an absolutely enormous wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of survival and bushcraft, this particular book is quite hefty and more useful as a reference only.

For those wishing to carry a reference book into the field, the more recent "Essential Bushcraft" is far more suitable. Despite not being "pocket-sized" it does not take up much space.

As with most Ray Mears "survival" books, by clear step-by-by instructions the reader is led through a plethora of subjects including how to construct a shelter from the elements at virtually any time of the year in a wide variety of circumstances/environments.

The book also covers sections which deal with the many uses and natures of cordage, the use of knots, a wide diversity of cutting tools (and how they should be used correctly), first aid & personal hygiene together with a list of the essential items to be included within a survival outfit.

An entire section of this handbook is devoted to the importance of water and the dangers of dehydration. Instruction is provided in how to locate water sources & how to access and use them. Emphasis also being given in relation to the collection and purification of water.

Another section is devoted to "living off the land" which includes instruction on "foraging" and how to differentiate between food that is edible and that which is poisonous. Also included is a section allocated to fire and how to make fire by improvising with the use of unlikely raw materials.

In each and every section clear photographs are supplied to assist the reader. This is indeed another essential volume from Ray Mears for anyone interested in the outdoor life, and not just for survival purposes. A basic knowledge would do none of us any harm and this book meets this need and those who require much more. Another excellent purchase.