National Geographic Complete Survival Manual »

Michael Sweeney is a professor of journalism at Utah State University. He is the award-winning author of the acclaimed book Secrets of Victory and of God Grew Tired of Us, with Jon Bul Dau.

National Geographic Complete Survival Manual is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and user-friendly reference of its kind—and the only one with firsthand advice from the experts at National Geographic and four of the top organizations of emergency preparedness. Beginning with the basics of survival, the book then focuses on how to survive in six of the world’s most hazardous environments—from building a snow fort if you’re lost in a blizzard, to surviving a rattlesnake bite in the desert, to navigating safely through the dense rainforest.

The manual also offers essential instructions for weathering eight different natural disasters, from hurricanes and tornadoes to earthquakes and forest fires, including an entire chapter on home-based survival. Plus, ten National Geographic explorers, photographers, and scientists, candidly share their own near-death stories and how they lived to tell them.

Each chapter is full of detailed, custom-drawn illustrations that lay out how-tos in easy to follow steps. Bulleted lists, first-person stories, a glossary, cross-referencing, an appendix, and an index round out the reference features. With 200 color photographs and maps, and a durable, waterproof cover, this vital reference is a necessity for families, seniors, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who needs to know what to do in a real emergency situation.

The Washington Post - Justin Moyer

…offer[s] Into Thin Air-style survivor narratives at the end of each chapter that will compel Boy Scouts to grab the book from the bottom of their rucksacks. This is a real manual meant to be used in survival situations; even the water-resistant cover and durable pages scream Alive.