The Ultimate Survival Guide by John Wisemen (2004, Paperback, Reprint)

Very Informative, straight to the point and no-nosense written book.
It goes over the basics and then plenty of topics one would not normally think about. It even gets indepth in safety thinking to the point where it tells you how to sheath a knife (which side), so that if it punchtures the sheath, it will not hurt you! Tells you exactly how to pack your backpack what articles are needed and how to utilize minimum space, so you can cary a few items that are considered "luxury". The book could be improved upon though, I do believe it is written for those who have a trainer/leader or those who already are familiar with hiking and packing. Some of the topics like water, and animals, are very general and a bit vague not as specific and step by step as a layman or first time out person (with no guidance) would need. But if you follow the overall gist, or have a good amount of common sense, then you can piece it together. So overall, I rate the book as very good! A definate necessity to be kept in your house emergency supply, or in your boat emergency stash area. If you have the knowledge when and where you need it, that greatly reduces the risk of PANIC.