Recommended Books for
Hard Times Survival and Knowledge Preservation
Copyright © 2007,2008 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Recommended Books for Basic Survival and Self-Sufficiency During Hard Times
SAS Survival Guide, Collins Gem, Wiseman, ISBN 978-0060849825, small book, Highly Recommended, $8.
Survival Gunsmithing, J.B. Wood, 1986, $12.
Effective Defense: the Woman, the Plan, the Gun, 2nd Edition, Written for women by Gila Hayes, 2000, $17, (Book added May 1, 2008).
Merck Manual of Medical Information, 2nd Home Edition, 2004, Paperback, more than 1900 Pages, Highly Recommended, $14.
Improve Your Vision without Glasses or Contact Lenses, Dr. Beresford, Dr. Muris, Dr. Allen, Dr. Young, 1996, $10, (Book added May 1, 2008).
American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook, Kathleen A. Handal, M.D., 1992, $13.
Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Paperback or Hardcover, 1995 or before, $20 or less.
New Illustrated Guide to Gardening, Reader’s Digest, 2000, $23.
Seed Sowing and Saving, Turner, 1998, $14.
Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, Costenbader, 2002, $15.
Backyard Livestock, Thomas and Looby, 2007 or before, $13.
Deerskins into Buckskins, 2nd Edition (not the 1st edition), Richards, 2004, $14, (Book added December 15, 2007).
Complete Modern Blacksmith, Weygers, 1997, $14.
Bicycle Maintenance and Repair, 5th Edition, Todd Downs, 2005, $14.
Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, 1976 or 2002 Edition, $23
Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, 2005, $23 to $33.
Hoyle's Rules of Games, Third Edition, 2001, $7.
Recommended Books for the Preservation of Knowledge for Future Generations
Kelley's Textbook of Internal Medicine, 4th Edition, 2000, $93.
Surgery Book, Illustrated Guide to 73 Operations, Youngson, M.D., 1997, $13.
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Dentistry, 4th Edition, Mitchell et. al., 2005, a small reference book, $37.
Tooth Extraction, A Practical Guide, Robinson, 2000, $42.
Fundamentals of Building Construction, 4th Ed., Allen & Iano, 2004, $83, (Book added December 15, 2007).
Microhydro, Clean Power from Water, Davis, 2004, $16, (Book added December 15, 2007).
Basic Electronics, Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1973, $13.
Annapolis Book of Seamanship, 3rd Edition, Rousmaniere, 1999, $30.
Boat Building, Howard I. Chapelle, 1994, $27.
Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines, 2nd Edition, Stone, 1999, $60.
Illustrated Guide to Aerodynamics, 2nd Edition, Smith, 1991, $27.
History of the World, J.M. Roberts, 1993 Edition and not the 2003 Edition, Less than $20.
Basic Math and Pre-Algebra, Cliffs Quick Review, 2001, $10.
Pre-calculus, Cliffs Quick Review, 2001, $10.
Teach Yourself Calculus, Abbott and Neill, 2003, $11.
Basic Calculus Textbook, Hahn, 1998, $76. (Note: Buy a good used copy.)
Chemistry: Concepts and Problems, Wiley Self-Teaching Guide, 1996, $14.
Chemistry Principles, The Quest for Insight, Third Edition, Atkins & Jones, 2005, $146 (Note: Buy a good used copy.)
Basic Physics, Wiley Self-Teaching Guide, Kuhn, 1996, $14.
General Physics Textbook, 2nd Edition, Sternheim & Kane, 1991, $137. (Note: Buy a good used copy.)
Writing, Grammar, Usage, and Style, Cliffs Quick Review, 2001, $10.
DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, 2003, $32.
The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary - English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, 2004, $33.
Interlinear Bible - Hebrew, Greek, English, 2005, $44.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, 2001, $25.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003, $20.
Zondervan NIV Matthew Henry Commentary, 1999 or before, $32.
Highly Recommended Out-of-Print Books (if you can find them)
Marks Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 9th Edition or before.
Civil Engineering Handbook, any Edition 1990 or before.
Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), 2001.
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia, 2000.
Joy of Cooking, Rombauer and Becker, 915 pages, 1975 Edition or Before. (The 1975 edition was reprinted for many years until at least 1986. When the book was finally changed from 915 pages, the really good information was replaced with quick recipes and microwave cooking.)
The Medical Advisor, Time Life Books, Hardcover, 1996.
Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 14th Edition or before, 1970 or before.
Back to Basics, Reader’s Digest, 1997.
Fix-It-Yourself Manual, Reader's Digest, (not the Do-It-Yourself Manual), 1977.
Walt Disney's Story Land: 55 Favorite Stories, 1991 or 1974 edition, Golden Book, (Book added September 1, 2008).
The Children's Treasury: Best Loved Stories and Poems From Around the World, 1987, First Glance Books, (Book added September 1, 2008).
Other Suggestions
Books $20 or less can be purchased NEW but books over $20 are usually a better value in Like New or Very Good Used Condition. There are exceptions, however, depending on the book and its importance to you. Books listed in Good or Acceptable Condition should usually be avoided, if possible. However, if the book is important to you and better copies are not available, then you will have to make the decision of whether or not to purchase the used book.
A book listed as a "Remainder" is a new book that a Publisher has liquidated in volume at a huge discount and each remainder copy has a small mark or stamp on it to identify it as a Reminder so it cannot be returned to the Publisher for a full refund. Except for the small mark or stamp these books are in new condition and they are an excellent value, in my opinion.
Many engineering books published after 1990 have been updated with the latest technological advances and they have gradually deleted some of the older traditional concepts due to space limitations and the fact that those older methods and procedures are no longer being used because they have been replaced by computers and technology. If you wish to preserve the old knowledge I suggest the purchase of Engineering Handbooks published in the year 1990 or before. When doing book searches alternate using the search words “Engineering Handbook” and “Handbook for Engineers” along with the appropriate discipline such as Mechanical or Civil.
If you already own some good books in your area of expertise, then you should add them to the books you intend to preserve for your future descendants.
You might also wish to purchase an Automobile Repair Manual written specifically for your primary vehicle.
Some books attempt to cover too many topics in one volume. Those books frequently have really good information on a few of the topics but they only provide an introductory overview on many of the other topics. They also do not have enough specific information to help you analyze and correct all the different types of problems you might encounter in a specific topic area.
A college level textbook can educate a teacher and the teacher can then scale down the knowledge to any grade level. However, a sixth grade textbook is NOT useful for high school students or college students or for educating a teacher.
Some of the above books may be of no interest to you and you know you would never read them. However, our children and our grandchildren do not always share our interests and the above selection of books would give your future descendants the opportunity to learn about a variety of different subjects so they could better select a profession they really enjoyed.
Any book you purchase primarily for the preservation of knowledge for future generations should be vacuum sealed inside a plastic bag using an ordinary food vacuum sealer. This is particularly useful for older books that have already started to show signs of aging, such as page discoloration.
Revision History
Revised September 1, 2008 - Added Walt Disney's Story Land, and The Children's Treasury.
Revised May 1, 2008 - Added Effective Defense, and Improve Your Vision.
Revised December 15, 2007 - Added Deerskins into Buckskins, Building Construction, Microhydro, and Automobile Repair Manual.
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