This book really isn't very useful, especially for anyone living outside the southwestern desert. Mr. Olsen wrote the outdoor survival merit badge requirements for the boy scouts, and this is indicative of how the book reads. Most of the information is nice to know and even interesting at times, but it gets silly at points and is more historical in nature than anything. This book might be a good read for those interested in how people survived off the land in the distant past, but offers nothing in terms of modern survival skills. I believe that anyone interested in actually surviving in the wilderness would be better off looking elsewhere. I was disappointed.

Years ago, long before I became an outdoors columnist/writer, I read Outdoor Survival Skills on a lark. To say that it changed my life would be an understatement; it showed me the road my life would take.

In one small book, Larry started a movement that did what the hippies couldn't do. It showed people how to truly use the natural resources that surround us all, from how to tan hides and make snares to weaving tree bark and building shelters. Best of all, it shows us how to do all of these things without spending a dime--as it was done in days gone by.

As a teacher, Larry is the best and the rest of us owe what we have to him. If you have any interest in how things were done before there was a Wal-Mart at every corner, get this book! I cannot say enough about it.

I was impressed with the number of snares that were contained in this book. There were also very good sections on primative archery,hunting skills,and water aquisition. The pictures of plants in the back of the book are nice, but would have been better in color. Great book for getting back to the very basics and roughing it.