Essential Ranger Library?

For discussion of knowledge of the wood; this means camping, tracking, and other outdoor pursuits.

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caedmon
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Essential Ranger Library?

Post by caedmon »

What books are necessary?
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Peter Remling
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Post by Peter Remling »

The topic of a library is too extensive for one thread so I've taken the liberty to start several threads with books and online sites. I know I will miss many books and sites and hearty welcome all additional submissions.

I'm planning on breaking them up by catagory and would suggest any additions be added that way also. Where I list a book or site that has information that overlaps catagories, I will use woodcraft catagory as the default.
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Post by DavidMc »

I'd like to add a few books that I've found helpful to the list:

Firstly, Bush Craft by Mors Kochanski, (Lone Pine Publishing). This is one of the best all around books I have in my library and is (to my mind) a "must." Kochanski's work focuses in on the northern forests in particular-- which suits me fine as a Canadian-- but the general woods lore is transferable to almost any woodland or alpine context. The illustrations are basic but clear and the wealth of wisdom and experience Kochanski brings to this area is, I think, unsurpassed. I think it is fairly evident that I really, really like this one.

Secondly, Ray Mears' books Bushcraft and the more compact (and therefore easier to pack) Essential Bushcraft, (not sure who the North American publisher is). While I have both of these books, they both cover the same ground more or less, so you might like to pick one. The first is worth having for the pictures alone, but is better as a coffee table book than it would be as a field resource. I should also mention that these books are much more eclectic in nature-- they cover everything from the temperate zones that most of us would be familiar with to jungle, desert and arctic bush craft. Still, lots of good material. It also has to be said that Kochanski's influence on Mears is evident when the two are compared.

Thirdly, a raft of Primitive Technology books. The premise behind my purchasing and recommending these is simple. Most of the skills one would need as a ranger (or as a minimalist outdoorsman) are those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Granted, rangers have the benefit of steel, but I expect most of these skills would have been utilized in long ranges. So...

Primitive Technology I and Primitive Technology II, both edited by David Wescott from the Society of Primitive Technology.

Practicing Primitive by Steven M. Watts (who is also associated with the Society for Primitive Technology, so there is some overlap).

Earth Knack: Stone Age Skills for the 21st Century by Bart and Robin Blankenship (Published by Gibbs Smith).

I hope this proves helpful.
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Peter Remling
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Post by Peter Remling »

http://books.google.com/books?id=HlwUo0 ... RA2-PT2,M1

David, I started to search for the books you mentioned and I found this on line. I don't have time to read it at the moment but thought the rest of you might like to have a look.

Going to work in an hour. I'll read it over the weekend.
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Post by KerryTracker »

There are a lot of great books already mentioned. I have a shelf or two dedicated to each subject that I am passionate about. The bushcraft books are definitely in easy reach.

At the moment I am devouring "Dies the Fire" that someone on this forum suggested. I see now that I am going to have to order the entire series from Amazon. The Ranger Apprentice was also a great read. I had to ship them from Australia because I couldn't wait for the Irish release.

I think the right book is important, but more important is that a Ranger picks one or a few and actually PRACTISES what is in the book. Even if it is on the kitchen floor.

When I lived in a highrise apartment, I shot the bow each day by putting up a target at the front door and shot down the hall (making sure my wife wasn't around!!) I work on fire making, cordage, whittling, or any skills that I am currently fascinated with before I go out and try it in the cold, wind and rain of South Kerry.

Just a thought......
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Post by DavidMc »

Hi Peter,

That's the one. There are a lot of great projects in there. I'd still recommend a solid bushcraft book as first choice, but there are still some great tips to be found in the Primitive series.

KerryTracker,

Couldn't agree more.

Living in a pretty advantageous location for Bushcraft, I've been able to put a good bit of the basic bushcraft into practice (although no hardcore stone age manufacture). I taught my kids to start a fire with flint and steel a while ago (although I doubt they'd be able to pick it up again without some further coaching). Half the fun was becoming proficient myself. I've yet to start a fire with a fire bow, though. Something for this summer perhaps.

The best way is to go out with a decent sized field book and get to work. My mind always turns to these things about now... ah Spring!
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by doghsin »

im a big fan of Tom Brown Jr.'s field guides. while not being the most comprehensive books on there respective subjects, i (being somewhat of an 'animist') find the philosophy right up my alley. plus, i think the stories he tells help to ingrain the techniques into memory.

as far as fiction goes, i just recently finished reading the Drizzt; Forgotten Realms series. i was so excited to learn there was a novel (let alone a whole series) where the main character was a 'ranger'. boy was i disappointed when i learned he was just a paladin who liked to go camping lol.
hopefully i get to go home this weekend, if i get a decent enough paycheck i plan on trying that 'Ranger's Apprentice' series.

edit: the word is 'alley' not 'ally'. live and learn ;)
Last edited by doghsin on Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Gareth »

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Last edited by Gareth on Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
KerryTracker
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by KerryTracker »

doghsin wrote:im a big fan of Tom Brown Jr.'s field guides....]
Doghsin,
I can agree with your comment on Tom's books. There is a lot of inspiration there. I worked for him at his Tracker School in New Jersey.

It is important to find a motivation and inspiration for these skills. But it is even more important and sometimes more difficult to move on to actually working on and learning whatever skills you find interesting. Most of the students who came through the Tracker School never learned this lesson. They kept returning to take another class and never spent any "dirt time" or practised anything that they learned.

I feel that there is a tremendous amount of learning one can find in books as long as they take the skills and apply them to the wilderness.


Back to the Ranger's Apprentice series. They are a great source of inspiration and do discuss some skills, but the writer isn't a Ranger and often gets minor field craft wrong. Even so, I have spent time trying to see if his idea of fighting with a Seax and a long knife a viable means of combat. I think that he has a pretty good system there.

I like the latest Ranger Apprentice book since the characters come here to Ireland (Hibernia). It hits close to home.
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Willrett
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Willrett »

Loved the Rangers Apprentice books they are great. I would love that style of fighting it made a lot of sense. The Drizzit books are great. There are 20 couple of them and is in very in and out of the ranger stuff but the rangerness of the books are more of loving the world around you and bringing piece. There are other Salvatore books about rangers, Demon wars series has 6 or so books.
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Mirimaran
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Mirimaran »

You know, I found that sometimes guides can be a bit dry, and since there is nothing better than a good story backed by realistic descriptions, I think it would be a great idea if we here could try our hand at creative writing. Why read other folk's Ranger tales which are not Rangers in the Tolkien sense, when we can create those tales here, ourselves, and pepper those accounts with real life information concerning sword-play, tactics, camp-life, and life in the wilderness. What's everyone else think?
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Gareth
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

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Greg
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Greg »

David and I are both members on WEbook.com, a website specifically for creative writing. There's one member David's been chatting with that he pointed me to, Donald Willis, whose current project, "Pathways" is about Rangers, if anyone's interested. At any rate, that'd be a great place to see some more ranger tales!
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Willrett
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Willrett »

I have been in the very early stages of a book. I have been working on figuring out my charecters and basic story lines.
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Greg
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Re: Essential Ranger Library?

Post by Greg »

Well, webook is a perfect place to post exactly that! You can just start your first chapter, and title it "Rough Character Outlines" or something to that effect, and then post Character names and Bios to start getting some feedback.
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