Prepper reading list factual & reference

Bill Masen - February 14, 2021

BOOK READING LIST

Book list factual and fictional. One set for reference and planning, the other set for mental preparation of how to handle likely scenarios.

Aftermath, Charles Sheffield (Very Good)After Doomsday, Poul AndersonAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand (Hard to grasp)Alas Babylon, Pat Frank (Truly a superb classic)Amerikan sunset, Jennifer Ladewig (Drivel)A Wrinkle in the skin, John Christopher (A character essay )Black Sun, Robert Leininger Very goodBlood Crazy, Simon ClarkCrabs, Guy SmithComet, (The) Robert Charles Very GoodDamnation Alley, Roger Zelazny Better than the movieDay after Tomorrow, (The) Whitley Strieber

Day by Day Armageddon J L Bourne (SUPERB BOOK)Day of the Triffids, John WyndhamDeath of Grass, John ChristopherDeathlands, Jack AdrianDeluge, Fowler Wright

Deluge, Richard DoyleDrought ,(The) JG Ballard thought provokingDrowned world, (The) JG Ballard interestingDown to a sunless sea, (either version) David Graham (Truly great, another classic)Earth Abides, George R Stewart 2nd only to Alas BabylonEarth Winter, Richard MoranEternity Road, Jack McDevitt Interesting future shockEmpire of Ice, Richard Moran

Empty World John ChristopherFamine, Graham Masterson

Flood, Richard DoyleFreeman, (The) Jerry AhernHeavy Weather, Bruce SterlingIce, Arnold Federbush depressingIcefire, Judith & Garfield Reeth Stevens entertainingIce Quake, John R SpencerKraken Wakes, (The) John WyndhamLast Ranger, (The) Craig Sargeant ( Rambo wannabe crap)

Living is Forever J Edwin CarterLucifer’s Hammer, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. (Becoming a classic)

Long voyage back, Luke Rhineheart( In the top ten of all time )Long Loud Silence, ( The) Wilson TuckerLast ship, (The) William BrinkleyMalevil, Robert MerleMoonfall, Jack Mc DevittNight of the Triffids, Simon Clark (Good follow on from Day of the Triffids)New Madrid Run, (The) Micheal ReisigOn the beach, Neville ShuteOut of the Ashes, ( Ashes series) William W JohnstonePlague 99, Jean Ure

Plague of the dead (The Morningstar Saga) Z A RechtPatriots, James Wesley Rawles ( A Brilliant piece of work)Postman, (The) David Brin

Resurrection Day Brendan DuboisRift, (The) Walter J WilliamsSavage Dawn, Robert ColeShiva Descending, Gregory BenfordSome will not die, Algis BudrysStand, (The) Stephen King

Survivors Terry Nation ( British Classic)Survivalist, (The) series Jerry AhernThird Pandemic, (The) Pierre OuelletteThis is the way the world ends, James Morrow

Thunder & Ashes (Morningstar Saga) Z A RechtVirus, Japanese Author ( lost from my collection)When the City stopped, Joan PhipsonWild Shore ( The) Kim Stanley Robinson Deep stuff

World in Winter ( The) John ChristopherYear of the quiet sun, Wilson Tucker Suprisingly Good48, James Herbert8.4, Peter Hernon good read28 Days Later, Alex Garland299 Days the Preparation, Glen Tate ( My book of the year for 2014)

All good reading stuff for making your mind more accessible to the possibilities and permutations

Most of these books are very thought provoking and make you think about some issues you otherwise may have overlooked.

My Favourites are ALAS BABYLON and Patriots, and Day By Day Armageddon

Factual and reference

Archery Steps to Success. Hayward / Lewis

Build the perfect survival kit 0-87349-967-0The Survivalists Patrick Rivers 0-413-31650-5Earth Shock Basil Booth & Frank Fitch 0-7221-1778 7The Nuclear Survival Handbook Barry PopkessTappan on Survival Mel Tappan 0-916172-04-xSurvival guns Mel TappanThe Survival Retreat Ragnar Benson 0-87364-275-9The Modern Survival Retreat Ragnar Benson 0-87364-980-x

The Survival Nurse Ragnar Benson 1-58160-075-5Apocalypse Tomorrow Duncan Long 0-87947-089-5When Technology Fails Mathew Stein 1-57416-047-8The Coming Global Superstorm Bell and Strieber 0-7434-0888-8

How to live Off –Grid Nick Rosen 978-0-385-61127-5Life after doomsday Bruce D Clayton 0-87364-175-2Surviving Doomsday C Bruce Sibley 07219-0780-6Outdoor Survival guide Hugh Mc Manners 0-7513-0644-4Travel Vans John Speed 99920-1-158-0 (The book for building BOVs)SAS Survival guide ( pocket size) John lofty Wiseman 0-00-470167-4

Beneath the City Streets, Peter Laurie: 0586050558

When All Hell Breaks Loose Cody Lundin (VERY VERY American)

TRAVEL VANS John Speed (Building SUVS/ Campers)

EMERGENCY POWER FOR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 978-0-872-615-3

by Michael Bryce 

6  

Real good.  Reading has nearly left the US scene.  

ATLAS SHRUGGED themes eg objectiveism, capitalism, have lost out to other philosophies.

Ayn Rand replaced by Greta Thunberg.

My primary theme for preparedness comes from the insurance industry – now expanding into the overall “risk management” industry. The best book I have from the industry is their Executive Protection Manual for their holders of kidnapping/hostage insurance.

In re the military survival manuals, … most all of ’em are here … is a spinoff, non-military manual. It’s for a specific environment but the principles are written for a more knowledgeable readership.  This book is “Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program”., by the National Science Foundation. I have no need to build igloos nor navigate when too chilly to go out.  The manual is written for a level higher than the early WWII US soldiers entering the military from the factories, mills, mines, … 

Some books are themed to specific subjects like how to evacuate an elevator (lift), how to prepare for a helicopter crash on water, how to evacuate a water craft on fire.

Younger, newer entrants to preparedness would benefit from WHEN VIOLENCE ERUPTS-A Survival Guide for Emergency Responders”, ISBN: 0-8016-6195-1. 

I am a strong advocate of groups so as learning this stuff benefits from the economies of scale. Soon I’m sending in an order for some no-cost FEMA books, pamphlets. It is easy to type “12” instead of 1 or 2. FEMA encouranges reading their pubs and some of the authors appreciate comments.

For US forum particpiants, much of the US participates in the public library inter-library loan program.  One’s library card and $4.00 (at least pre-COVID-19) checks out a book. 

 

So Bob, who is John Galt? 🙂

 

From a fading memory, John Galt was Rand’s personification of individualism. Starting in 1922, individualism lost to collectivism. 

Today in the US we do not practice individualism.

One last point, John Galt is like the albatross in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.  The albatross is less about birds than innocence, purity.  Same for sea snakes.

 

I find it heartbreaking to read your comment, that READING HAS NEARLY LEFT THE US scene. It has genuinely brought a tear to my eye. A cultural disaster.

A nation that gave us Pat Frank, Ayn Rand, Jl Bourne, George R Stewart, Luke Rheinhart, William Brinkley, James Wesley Rawles, Glen Tate, Stephen King, Etc should be required reading in every school in America.

 

Bill, can’t discuss politics here other than to say, as per sociology, the US schools are worse than the overall US scene.

A US Army Sergeant Major of artillery, Edgar Allen Poe, wrote perhaps the best poem in western literature.  Dostoyevsky said something like this. Must stop now. “Nevermore”

 

Always looking for new book titles. Many thanks, Bill