Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It should be noted that this is a self published book which is evident through the lack of editing. This massive book covers many skills relevant to survival and camping provided you have a tremendous amount of specialized gear and training(log cabin anyone? how about a sod house? Ever tried collecting sod in the wilderness?). A great deal of the book wastes time with things like how to fight a forest fire, or how to conduct a search and rescue operation for avalanche victims (usually a body recovery), he covers all kinds of rock climbing gear and techniques(some of it antiquated, pitons but no mention of cams) as well as meteorology and astronomy...let's face it, you need specialized training for these skills and the weather man/woman with all their computer models still can't get a handle on the forecast and a novice reader can learn it all from a book? Who the heck carries a wooden block and tackle with them and why do I want to read his 20 page description of hurricane Katrina? I do not need to know the schematics of six different telescopes nor do I care how a seahorse swims in the Indian Ocean! (No I'm not lying, it's in there). The science of hydroplaning interests me a little more than why I should buy a $3.96 1950's era survival knife w/survival saw in the handle with the fish hooks. Sharks fins up "..might indicate a reduced possibility of attack", when they're down it ..."might indicate an attack". Where does he get his information? Bow and drill is mentioned ..."the rotation and pressure of the drill, grinding on the baseboard, heats the wood which ignites..." Get real! His fire saw description is equally pathetic. The bulk of this book looks like it was lifted from park service brochures, ancient National Geographics and other antiquated sources of outdoor lore and then "individualized". I could go on, but enough... I had given it more stars initially, but the more I look the book over the more incredulous I become, no responsible publishing company would ever let this book go to press as is, thus the self publishing of it. Very disappointing!