Rekindling the Flame After the Collapse by Bill Buppert

I am an incurable bibliophile who has a substantial library holding. I even had a library annex in my former house at the Circle A Ranch.  Once we acquire new digs here in Arizona I will be making a more portable solution by building an outbuilding with floor to ceiling bookshelves that is air-conditioned. The coming Endarkenment is surely a signal to start accumulating a non-electronic portfolio of texts and tomes that sustain you and yours in the approaching of Ragnarok. 

As a nod to my acceptance of the electronic publishing revolution in book availability (my own book is Kindle only on Amazon), I have a rather large portable library that goes everywhere with me on my wonderful Kindle DX; I have entertained getting a new Kindle Paperwhite and loading it with survival and self-sufficiency tomes and tucking it into a Maxpedition admin pouch with a solar battery charger.

Nonetheless in a grid-up or grid-down scenario, this may be useful but will be a worthless paperweight in an EMP event.

I started this journey in my techno-hippie days with the Whole Earth Catalog. That project still resonates with me. I wish some ambitious entrepreneur would revise and update that project. I also wish the entire CoEvolution Quarterly/ Whole Earth Review were available on digits.

Jerry Pournelle wrote Lucifer’s Hammer in 1984 and many significant books have been published since then that may be added to the list. I welcome reader’s comments and suggestions for additions to the list.

I would add the revised 54 volume Great Books of the Western World, not the horrific 60 volume successor, the Harvard Five Shelf of Books and the innumerable military manuals that have become available digitally over the last decade like the Engineering Data books, Ranger Handbooks and FM 7-8 (Light Infantry Platoon and Squad). The first two sets can found dirt-cheap on the used market.

Some other resources can found in this post at the Long Now Foundation.

One of my readers has alerted me to the utter uselessness of post 1940s Merck manuals that are simply drug dispensation instructions. If you are trying to complete this “bucket list”, be cautious what you purchase. More to follow on a proper medical library for FREEFOR.

The list is long and encyclopedic but it speaks to the innumerable invisible infrastructures that make our lives rather effortless…for now. It literally echoes in eternity -BB

Bucket # 1

Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers, Frederick S. Merritt, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill 1976

Tubular Steel Structures: Theory & Design, M.S. Troitsky, Arc Welding Foundation, 1982

Design of Welded Structures, O.W. Blodgett, Arc Welding Foundation, 1966

The Engineer’s Handbook Illustrated, Arthur Liebers, Key Publishing, NY, 1968

Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual, EPA, 2002

Smoley’s Parallel Tables of Logarithms & Squares for Engineers, Architects and Students, C.P. Smoley, 1965

Bucket # 2

Gear Cutting Practice: Methods of Producing Gears for Commercial Use Including Wartime Data Supplement, Fred Colvin & Frank Stanley, McGraw-Hill, 1943

Punches and Dies: Layout, Construction and Use Including Wartime Data Supplement, Frank Stanley, McGraw-Hill, 1943

Turning and Boring Practice, Modern Machine Tools and Methods Used in Representative Plants, Fred Colvin & Frank Stanley, McGraw-Hill, 1943

Jigs and Fixtures, Fred Colvin & Lucius Haas, McGraw-Hill, 1943

Steam Power Plants, Philip J. Potter, Ronald Press, 1949

The Home Mechanic’s Handbook: Encyclopedia of Tools, Materials, Methods and Directions, Various Authors, D. Van Nostrand, 1945

Strength of Materials, Alfred Pourman, McGraw-Hill, 1937

Home Plumber’s Bible, Ramesh Singhai, McGraw-Hill, 1978

Electric Motor Repair, Robert Rosenberg, 1946

Interior Electric Wiring and Estimating, Albert Uhl, Arthur Nelson and Carl Dunlap, American Technical Society, 1947

Electrical Wiring: Residential, William J. Whitney, Wiley and Sons, 1979

Practical Electrical Wiring: Residential, Farm and Industrial, H.P. Richter, McGraw-Hill, 1947

Bucket # 3

The Backyard Builder, Edited by John Warde, Rodale, 1985

Residential Carpentry, Mortimer P. Reed, Wiley & Sons, 1980

Essential of Drafting, James D. Bethune, Prentice Hall, 1977

The Homeowner’s Book of Plumbing and Repair, K.W. Sessions, Wiley & Sons, 1978

Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery, Mildred Graves Ryan, Doubleday, 1979

The Practical Handyman’s Encyclopedia (3 volumes of 22 total)

Bucket # 4

The Timber Framing Book, Elliott and Wallas, Housesmith, 1977

Book of Bikes and Bicycling, Dick Teresi, Popular Mechanics, 1975

Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, 1976

Readers Digest Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills, 1981

Readers Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual, 1973

Reader’s Digest Practical Problem Solver, 1992

Earl Proux’s Yankee Home Hints, Yankee Books, 1993

Yankee Magazine’s Make It Last by Earl Proux, Yankee Books, 1996

Whittlin’, Whistles and Thingamajigs, Harlan G. Metcalfe, Castle, 1974

Bucket # 5

Basic Construction Techniques for Houses and Small Buildings Simply Explained, United States Navy, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Dover Press, 1972

Tools and How To Use Them, Jackson and Day, Wings Books, 1992

The Homestead Builder, CP Dwyer, Lyons Press, 1872/1998

Carpenter’s and Builder’s Library: Millwork, Power Tools and Painting, John E. Ball, Audells, 1976

Carpenter’s and Builder’s Library: Tools, Steel Square, and Joinery, John E. Ball, Audells, 1978

Carpenter’s and Builder’s Library:Builder’s Math, Plans and Specifications, John E. Ball, Audells, 1978

The Practical Handyman’s Encyclopedia (10 volumes of 22 total)

Bucket # 6

The Practical Handyman’s Encyclopedia (9 volumes of 22 total)

Architectural Drawings and Light Construction, Second Edition, Edward J. Muller, Prentice Hall, 1976

Freshwater Fishes, Lawrence Page and Brooks Burr, Peterson, 1991

Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs, George Petrides, Peterson, 1972

Bucket # 7

Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, Charles F. Chapman, Hearst Press, 1966

McClane’s Standard Fishing Encyclopedia and International Angling Guide, Editied by A.J. McClane, Holt-Rinehart, 1965

The Complete Book of Canoeing and Kayaking, Paul Fillingham, Drake, 1976

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, John Rousmaniere, Simon & Shuster, 1989

Heat Engines: Steam, Gas, Steam Turbines and their Auxiliaries, J.R. Allen and J.A. Bursley, McGraw-Hill, 1910.

Architectural Graphic Standards, G.G. Ramsey and H.R. Sleeper, Wiley & Sons, 1962

The Metal Trades Handbook, R.G. Garby and B.J. Ashton, Jasper, 1985

Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians, J.L. Behler and F.W. King, Knopf, 1979

Bucket # 8

The Way Things Work, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Technology, Volume One, Simon & Schuster, 1967

The Way Things Work, Volume Two, Simon & Schuster, 1971

The New Way Things Work, David Macaulay, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998.

Logan’s Medical and Scientific Abbreviations, Carolynn Logan & M. Katherine Price, Lippincott, 1987

Complete Book of Athletic Taping Techniques, J.V. Cerney, Parker, 1972

Basic Carpentry, John Capotosto, Reston, 1975

The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding, 12th Edition, Lincoln Electric Company, 1973

The Encyclopedia of Common Diseases, Prevention Magazine, 1976

What Herbs are all About: A Basic Primer Outlining the Practical Uses of Medicinal Plants, J.J. Challem & Renate Levin-Challem, Keats, 1980

Bucket # 9

English Bread and Yeast Cookery, Elizabeth David, Biscuit Books, 1977

The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies, Editors of Prevention Magazine, Rodale, 1990

Gardening for Food and Fun, USDA Yearbook, 1977

Grass, USDA Yearbook, 1948

Crockett’s Victory Garden, James Crockett, Little-Brown, 1977

Complete Guide to Sewing, Reader’s Digest, 1976

Advanced Home Gardening, Miranda Smith, Creative Homeowner Press, no date

Pastures for the South, George H. King, Creative, 1954

Fruits for the Home Garden, Ken & Pat Kraft, Morrow, 1968

The Best Gardening Ideas I Know, Robert Rodale, Rodale Press, 1974

The Best Gardening Ideas I Know, Robert Rodale, Rodale Press, 1978

Bucket # 10

The Wise Garden Encyclopedia: A Practical and Convenient Guide to Every Detail of Gardening Written for All Climates, Soils, Seasons and Methods, Ed. by E.L.D. Seymour, Grossett & Dunlap, 1970

Betty Crocker’s Kitchen Gardens, Mary Mason Campbell, Scribners, 1971

Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health, D.C. Jarvis, M.D., Henry Holt, 1958

10,000 Garden Questions, Volume One, Ed. by F.F. Rockwell, Doubleday, 1959

How to Treat Yourself with Chinese Herbs, Dr. Hong-Yen Hsu, Keats, 1980

Ferns of Alabama by Blanche E. Dean, Southern University Press, 1969

Today’s Herbal Health, Louise Tenney, Woodland, 1983

The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Organic Gardening Magazine, Rodale Press, 1978

The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control, Ed. by B.W. Ellis & F.M. Bradley, Rodale, 1992

An American Herbal: Using Plants for Healing, Nelson Coon, Rodale, 1979

Stalking the Good Life, Euell Gibbons, McKay, 1971

Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, E. Mindell, Fireside, 1992

Bucket # 11

Herb Gardening in the Five Seasons, A.G. Simmons, Dutton, 1964

The Alternative Pharmacy, Dr. L.P. Walker & E.H. Brown, J.D., Prentice-Hall, 1998

Herbs for Your Health, Steven Foster, Interweave Press, 1996

Rodales Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, Ed. by C. Kowalchik & W.H. Hylton, Rodale, 1987

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database 2002, 4th Edition, Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2002

Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, Andrew Cevallier, DK Publishing, 1996

Southern Herb Growing, M. Hill & G. Barclay, Shearer, 1987

Herb Gardening in the South, Sol Meltzer, Gulf Publishing, 1977

The Complete German E Monographs — Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, Blumenthal, et. al., American Botanical Council, 1998

Herbs for Use and Delight, D.J. Foley, Herb Society of America, 1974

Bucket # 12

Magill’s Medical Guide: Health and Illness, Five Volumes, Salem Press, 1995

Daffodils Are Dangerous: The Poisonous Plants in Your Garden, Hubert Creekmore, Walker, 1966

The Amateur’s Guide to Caves and Caving, David R. McClurg, Stackpole, 1973

Practical Electrical Wiring: Residential, Farm & Industrial, H.R. Richter & W.C. Schwan, 13th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1984

Grey’s Anatomy, Bounty Books, NY, 1977

Bucket # 13

Nurse’s Reference Library: Emergencies, Springhouse Pub., 1985

Nurse’s Reference Library: Diseases, Springhouse Pub., 1985

Nurse’s Reference Library: Signs & Symptoms, Springhouse Pub., 1986

Nurse’s Reference Library: Assessment, Springhouse Pub., 1984

Nurse’s Reference Library: Procedures, Springhouse Pub., 1985

Locksmithing, Bill Phillips, McGraw-Hill, 2000

Dr. Chase’s Combination Receipt Book, Dickerson, 1915

Bucket # 14

Dr. Chase’s Family Physician, Farrier, Bee Keeper and Second Receipt Book, Chase Pub., 1881

The Merck Veterinary Manual, 4th Edition, Ed. by O.H. Siegmund, Merck, 1973

A Synopsis of Anesthesia, J. Alfred Lee & R.S. Atkinson, Williams & Wilkins, 1968

The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs and Biologicals, 12th Edition, Merck, 1996

Physician’s Desk Reference, 60th Edition, Thomson, 2006

Bucket # 15

Wild Flowers: 364 Full Color Illustrations with Complete Descriptive Text, Homer D. House, MacMillan, 1967

A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America, Donald C. Peattie, Bonanza, 1963

Guide for All-Hazard Emergency Operations Planning, FEMA, 1996

Design Modification Studies, Office of Civil Defense, DOD, 1968

Elevated Residential Structures, FEMA, 1984

Coastal Construction Manual, FEMA, 1986

Risks and Hazards, State By State, FEMA, 1980

The Progressive Farmers Do-It-Yourself Weather Book, Tim Campbell, Oxmoor House, 1979

The US Cavalry Horse, Gen. William H. Carter, Lyons Press reprint of 1895 original

Horses: Their Selection, Care and Handling, M.C. Self, Wilshire, 1971

The Art of Riding, LTC M.F. McTaggart, Bonanza, 1951

The Way Things Work, David Macaulay, Houghton-Mifflin, 1988

Practical Electricity, Robert G. Middleton, Audel, 1983

Bucket # 16

Basic Electricity, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Dover Press, 1970

Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, 1979

The Hunter’s World, Charles F. Waterman, Ridge Press (no date)

Textiles, N. Hollen & J. Saddler, Collier-Macmillan, 1973

Residential Construction, William Ventolo, RECo, Chicago, 1979

Biology of Animals, Hichman, Roberts & Hickman, Times-Mirror, 1990

Navigation and Nautical Astronomy, Commander Benjamin Dutton, US Naval Institute, 1943

Book of Pregnancy and Child Care, P.S. Pasqnariello, M.D., Wiley, 1999

Complete Book of Breast Feeding, Marvin S. Eger, M.D. & Sally Olds, Workman, 1999

Fur Farming, A.R. Harding, Harding Press, Columbus, OH, 1909/1920

Route Survey and Design, 4th Edition, Carl F. Meyer, International Textbooks, 1969

Bucket # 17

Horticulture, R. Gordon Halfacre & John A. Bardle, McGraw-Hill, 1979

CIBA Collection of Medical Illustrations, Frank Netter, CIBA, 1948

Food Animal Surgery, J.L. Noordsy, DVM, VM Publishing, 1978

Architectural Drawing & Light Construction, E.J. Muller & J.G. Fausett, Prentice Hall, 1973

The Carpenter’s Manifesto: A Total Guide thet takes the Mystery out of Carpentry for Everybody, J. Erhlich & M. Mannheimer, Henry Holt, 1990

Manual of IV Medications, Lynn Phillips & M.A. Kuhn, Lippincott/Raven, 1999

Instrument Flying, Richard L. Taylor, MacMillan, 1972

Eddie Bauer Guide to Backpacking, Archie Satterfield & Eddie Bauer, Addison Wesley, 1983

Guide and Key to Alabama Trees, Donald E. Davis & Norman D. Davis, Kendall-Hunt, 1975

Muskrat Farming, James Edwards, Fur Farmers Publishing, 1928

Electrical Engineering Pocket Handbook, EASB, 1997

Basic Electricity, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Dover, 1970

Basic Electronics, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Dover, 1984

Training Your Dog, Joachim Volhard & Gail. T. Fisher, Howell, 1983

Bucket # 18

Principles of Electrical Engineering, Vincent Del Toro, Prentice-Hall, 1965

Structural Steel Design, Lynn S. Beedle, et.al., Ronald Press, 1964

Reinforced Concrete Fundamentals, Phil Ferguson, John Wiley, 1965

Manual of Steel Construction, 6th Edition, AISC, 1964

Elementary Structural Analysis, C.H. Norris & J.B. Wilbur, McGraw-Hill, 1960

Design of Concrete Structures, L.C. Urquhart & C.E. O’Rourke, McGraw-Hill, 1946

Concrete Pipe Handbook, H.F. Peckworth, ACPA, 1965

Principles of Fluid Mechanics, Salomon Ezkinazi, Allyn & Bacon, 1963

Manual of Steel Construction, 8th Edition, AISC, 1980

Structural Engineering, J.E. Kirkham, McGraw-Hill, 1933

Reinforced Concrete Design Handbook, Thor Germundsson, American Concrete Institute, 1955

Bucket # 19

Surveying Theory & Practice, R.E. Davis & F.S. Foote, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1953

Highway Engineering, L.J. Ritter & R.J. Paguette, Ronald Press, 1960

Engineering Mechanics, Vol. II Dynamics, Archie Higdon & W.B. Stiles, Prentice-Hll, 1962

Manual of Steel Construction, 8th Edition, AISC, 1980

Introductory Soil Mechanics & Foundations, G.A. Sowers & George F. Sowers, MacMillan, 1961

Hydrology for Engineers, R.K. Linsley, et.al., McGraw-Hill, 1958

Engineering Materials, Committee on Engineering Materials, Pitman Publications, 1958

Elementary Fluid Mechanics, J.K. Vennard, John Wiley, 1954

Route Surveying, Carl F. Meyer, International Textbooks, 1963

Koehler Merhod of Dog Training, William Koehler, Howell, 1983

Elementary Surveying, C.B. Breed & G.L. Hosmer, John Wiley, 1945

Higher Surveying, C.B. Breed & G.L. Hosmer, John Wiley, 1947

Complete Sport Parachuting Guide, Charles Shea-Simmonds, A.C. Black, 1986

Bucket # 20

Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer

The Yale Shakespeare, Shakespeare of Stratford
The Yale Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Poems
The Yale Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Sonnets
The Yale Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Yale Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well
The Yale Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra
The Yale Shakespeare, As You Like It
The Yale Shakespeare, Coriolanus
The Yale Shakespeare, Cymbeline
The Yale Shakespeare, Hamlet
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Eighth
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Fifth
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Fourth, Part I
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Fourth, Part II
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Sixth, Part I
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Sixth, Part II
The Yale Shakespeare, Henry the Sixth, Part III
The Yale Shakespeare, Julius Ceasar
The Yale Shakespeare, King John
The Yale Shakespeare, King Lear
The Yale Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost
The Yale Shakespeare, Macbeth
The Yale Shakespeare, Measue for Measure
The Yale Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
The Yale Shakespeare, Othello
The Yale Shakespeare, Pericles, Prince of Tyre
The Yale Shakespeare, Richard the Second
The Yale Shakespeare, Richard the Third
The Yale Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
The Yale Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors
The Yale Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
The Yale Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Yale Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
The Yale Shakespeare, The Tempest
The Yale Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Yale Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale
The Yale Shakespeare, Timon of Athens
The Yale Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus
The Yale Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

Bucket # 21

Trout: The Trout Fisherman’s Bible, Ray Bergman, Knopf, 1984
Successful Trout Fishing, Richard alden Knight, Dutton, 1968
Complete Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Climbing, Howard E. Smith, Jr., Doubleday, 1977
Herbal Remedies for Women, Amanda m. Crawford, Prima, 1997
The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies, Prevention Magazine, Rodale, 1990
The Practical Botanist, Rick Imes, Firesdie, 1990
Salt Water Fly Fishing Handbook, Doubleday, 1973
Birds Worth Knowing, Neltje Blanchan, Doubleday, 1925
Natural Resource Conservation, Oliver S. Owen, MacMillan, 1975
Chemistry, Brown, LeMay & Bursten, Prentice-Hall, 2000
Introductory General Chemistry, Brinkley, MacMillan, 1938
Home Brewing Without Failures, H.E. Bravery, Gramercy, 1965
Country Wines and Cordials: Wild Plant & Herbal Recipes for Drinks Old and New, Wilma Paterson, Omega, 1983

Bucket # 22

Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Berkeley Paperbacks, 1968
The Unabridged Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens, Running Press, 1976
Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, Ed. by Holliman and O’Clair, Norton, 1973
The Illustrated Treasury of the Brother’s Grimm, Derrydale Books, 1988
Kipling: A Selection of His Stories and Poems, Volumers I & II
Literature, Edited by E.V. Roberts and H.E. Jacobs, Prentice Hall, 1995.

Bucket # 23

The Complete Guide to Jewelry Soldering, Sara M. Sanford, Lapidary Journal, 2004
Shortguts to a Perfect Sewing Pattern, Rusty Bensussen, Sterling Publishing, 1989
Step-By-Step Weaving, Nell Znamierowski, Golden Press, 1967
Second Stitches: Recycle as You Sew, Susan D. Parker, Chilton Press, 1993
Singer Sewing Reference Library: Clothing Care and Repair — Extending the Life of Your Clothes, 1985
American Patchwork and Quilting, Ed. by G.M. Knox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1985
The New Candle Book, Gloria Nicol, Lorenz Books, 1995
The New Complete Walker: The Joys and Techniques of Hiking and Backpacking, Colin Fletcher, Knopf, 1974
The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Ed. by Robert Berkow, MD, Pocket Books, 1997
Hands in Clay: An Introduction to Ceramics, C.F. Speight & John Toki, Mayfield, 1995
The Complete Book of Sky Sports: A Basic Course in Parachuting, Soaring, Flying, Gyrocopter, Ballooning, Flying Power Planes, Linn Emrich, Collier, 1970
Encyclopedia of Furniture Making, Ernest Joyce, Barnes & Noble, 1987
A Guide to Field Identification of Trees of North America, C. Frank Brockman, Golden Press, 1968

Bucket # 24

The Collinridge Encyclopedia of Gardening, Arthur Hellyer, Chartwell, 1976
Orvis Fly Fishing Guidem Tom Rosenbauer, Lyons, 1984
Prentice Hall Illustrated Dictionary of Ecology and Plant Life, Martin Walters & Merilyn Holme, Prentice Hall, 1993
Practical Gardening Encyclopedia, Ed. by Roy Hay, Van Nostrand, 1977
Foolproof Planting: How to Successfully Start and Propagate More than 250 Vegetables, Flowers, Trees and Shrubs, Ed. by A.M. Halpin, Rodale Press, 1990
Gardening & Using Healing Herbs, Gaea and Shandor Weiss, Wings, 1999
The Organic Front, J.Rodale, Rodale Press, 1948
Dog Breeding — Theory and Practice, Will Judy, Judy Publishing, 1958
Furniture Finishing, W.I. Fischman, Bobbs Merrill, 1978
Loaded for Bear: A Treasury of Great Hunting Stories, Ed. by Greenberg & Waugh, Bonanza, 1990
Home Repairs Made Easy, Ed. by D.D. Wolf, Delair Publishing, 1979

Bucket # 25

Organic Chemistry Study Guide and Solutions Manual, Susan McMurry, Fifth Edition, Brooks-Cole, 2000.
Standard handbook for Electrical Engineers, Fink & Beaty, Eleventh Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1978
Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Needlecraft, Vera P. Guild, Doubleday, 1959
Metal Techniques for Craftsmen: A Basic Manual on the Methods of Forming and Decorating Metals, Oppi Untracht, Doubleday, 1968
How to Supervise People, Alfred M. Cooper, McGraw-Hill, 1941
Whittling and Woodcarving, E.J. Tangerman, Dover, 1962
New Short Cuts to Construction Profits, Engineering News-Record, 1936
The Finely Fitted Yacht, Ferenc Mate, Volumes 1 & 2, Norton, 1979

Bucket # 26
Selected Works of Cicero, Walter J. Black, 1948
Selected Essays of Montaigne, Walter J. Black, 1948
Five Great Dialogues, Plato, Walter J. Black, 1948
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Walter J. Black, 1948
On Man in the Universe, Aristotle, Walter J. Black, 1948
Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
On the Backs of Plum Creek, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
The First Four Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
Little Town on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper Row, 1981
Elizabethan Drama, Marlowe-Shakespeare, Harvard Classics, 1969
Reader’s Digest Fun & Laughter, Reader’s Digest, 1967
The World’s Great Thinkers, 4 Volumes, Random House, 1972

Bucket # 27
The Tent Book, E.M. Hatton, Mifflin, 1979.
Singer Sewing Book, Mary Picken, Singer, 1951
Game Birds of North America, Leonard Rue III, Harper 1973
Encyclopedia of Comman Diseases, Prevention, 1976
Anthology of American Literature: Colonial through Romantic, Ed. bvy George McMichael, MacMillan, 1980
Wildlife Management on Your Land, Charles L. Cadieux, Stackpole, 1985
Find Fish Anywhere, Anytime, Joseph D. Bates & Mark Straub, North American Fishing Club, 1991
Freshwater Fishing Secrets, Jay M. Strangis, NAFC, 1990
How to Build Clocks and watches, Byron G. Wels, Vertex, 1971
Clock Repairing as a Hobby, Harold C. Kelly, Association Press, 1972.

Bucket # 28


Fundamentals of Machine Component Design, Robert Juvinhall & Kurt Marshek, Wiley, 1991
Organic Plant Protection, Ed. by R.B. Yepson, Jr., Rodale, 1976
Our Soils and Their Management, R.L. Donahue, R.H. Follett, R.W. Tulloch, Interstate, 1983
Weeds of the World: Biology and Control, Lawrence J. King, Leonard Hill, 1966
The Natural Formula Book for Home & Yard, Ed. by Dan Wallace, Rodale, 1982
Beneficial Insects, Lester Swan, Harper, 1964
Garden Friends and Foes, Richard Headstrom, Washburn, 1954
All About Apples, Alice Martin, Houghton Mifflin, 1976
Pruning Guide for Trees, Shrubs and Vines, Tom Stevenson, Luce, 1964
Plant Viruses and Virus Diseases, F.C. Bawden, Ronald Press, 1964

Bucket # 29
Hydroelectric Handbook, William Creager & Joel Justin, Wiley, 1950
Engineering for Dams, in Three Volumes, William Creager, Joel Justin & Julian Hinds, Wiley, 1945
Irrigation Engineering, Volume 1, Agricultural & Hydrological Phases, Ivan Houk, Wiley, 1951
An Introduction to American Forestry, S.W. Allen & G.W. Sharpe, McGraw-Hill, 1960
Sugar Cane Around the World: An Evaluation and Comparison of the Practices of Sugar Cane Cultivation, A.H. Rosenfeld, University of Chicage, 1955
A Guide to Good Wine, Allan Sichel, et.al, Murray’s, London, 1971
Jerry Baker’s Outdoor Garden answer Book, Jerry Baker, Grosset & Dunlap, 1976

 

32 thoughts on “Rekindling the Flame After the Collapse by Bill Buppert”

  1. Excellent concept and post. My most treasured possession is my grandfather’s set of manual carpentry tools. I live 40 mi NW of Edwards AFB, and the daily sortie rate has steadily increased it’s cadence. The chance of a non-nuclear war seems slim – possible only if Putin is an actor, and part of the game. But I fear the coming war is for real. I will make good use of your bibliography as I prepare.

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  3. I don’t know how useful the Physicians desk reference is if there are no pharmaceutical companies. The physicians handbook would be better. Also find a Merck manual from the 40s or 50s. I have one from 1900, although some things are outdated, they treated common ailments without modern drugs, couple that with an old Sanfords Pharmicopia. Also the special forces medical sergeant handbook is excellent (I have it on digits if you want it), as well as primary anaestesia (British spelling) from oxford press. Where there are no doctors, the ditch doctor.

    Masashi’s Book of the Five Rings, Tzu’s Art of War.

    The Fox Fire series.

    Lastly, For a New Liberty

    Cheers!
    CM

  4. Line the bag you store your Kindle/ charger and solar panel in with foil. Problem solved.
    EMP will not affect anything in a Faraday cage type structure and tinfoil works well for that.

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  6. I might actually try to buy all these on eBay! Impressive list. I do already have “The Annotated Shakespeare” (ISBN-13: 978-0517535097), edited by A. L. Rowse, so I can get by without The Yale Shakespeare. My dad always said, “Son, you gotta read Shakespeare and the Bible”, even though he’s not especially religious, and I noticed that’s one book not on the list. I might also recommend “R. E. Lee” by Douglas Southall Freeman, which took the author 20 years to write, and for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1936.

  7. Tomatoes love Carrots as a gardening manual.
    Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
    The classic weapons series which cover the Garand, M-14, FN
    Any Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual for weapons, especially the U.S. 30 caliber gas operated service rifles shop manual vol 1 & 2.

  8. ‘Seed to Seed’ by Ashworth. Learn how to get seeds from all garden vegetables. Arguably the standard reference on this topic.

  9. Oh, btw, the Long Now Foundation’s ‘Manual for Civilization’ has some gems and is worth scanning for ideas, but is mostly lists by tech culture’s cool kids. And there is an arbitrary limit. More of a PR stunt than a useful list to rebuild civilization.

    See also https://www.survivorlibrary.com, all electronic and mostly out of copyright.

  10. Thanks Bill! I would add Machinery’s handbook critical for anyone needing to machine. Might go well in bucket #2 as well as a copy of a Pocket Ref. I have always wanted a floor to ceiling library myself. Especially one with the sliding ladder.

    1. I miss my library, my favorite would be the one from My Fair Lady.

      My Fair Lady Library

      Machinery’s Handbook: https://www.amazon.com/Machinerys-Handbook-Pocket-Companion-Revised/dp/0831129115/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426828592&sr=1-2&keywords=%22machinery%27s+handbook%22

      Is there a particular edition you would recommend? For instance, the 11th edition of the Britannica is always cited as a must have.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition

      1. That picture is amazing.

        Gotta be careful, you linked the companion book which is not the same. I made that mistake myself when I ordered from Amazon. Here is the full book.
        https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083112900X/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=06AHD328NWM6V69MR2BD&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop

        My understanding is they are all good. The newer ones contain more CAD information. I own the 15th edition. Mostly because I like thing that have more life experience than me. I also feel a current version would complement well.

  11. Tinker Tinker Little Star

    AN OUTSTANDING BOOK:

    The Way Things Work, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Technology

    1. These buckets are merely a conversation starter and date back to 1985.

      New editions for instance of Ditch Medicine and Where There is No Dentist [Doctor] and Wilderness Fist Aid texts have been updated since then, per medicine.

      And the internet has revolutionized PDF availability of everything.

    2. Both Rose and Laura Ingalls do something very impressive. The former elucidating freedom in a time when that was very unpopular and the latter demonstrating that the soul of westward expansion and settlement was anarchic spontaneous order to peacefully provision people’s needs & exchange goods and not the gun as portrayed in Hollyweird.

  12. Pingback: Odds ‘n Sods: - TerraCraft Outfitters

  13. Two of my favorites are Carla Emery’s Country Living Encyclopedia and Amy Dacyczyn’s Complete Tightwad Gazette. Also Passport to Survival, the original, by Dickey.

  14. Do not forget the early educational books. An engineering manual is not going to do anyone good if you do not have a working knowledge of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra. Even working professionals in the field keep a copy of a mathematical handbook so we can did up that odd equation that we last saw two decades ago in engineering school.

    Likewise, make sure you have the elementary school and high school textbooks. They may not be of immediate help, but in a long-term situation, long-term community survival includes training up the next generation. The problem with many of these lists is that everyone goes for the adult level text and forget about the child level texts.

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