Being as how books are meant to inform and entertain, a seasoned self-reliant outdoors person wants have good resources for referencing the broad range of topics on outdoor preparedness and enjoyment. Sometimes, a good read while relaxing by light of a glowing campfire, or under the light of a headlamp during a rainy day stuck under the camp’s dining tarp, is a rewarding time-passer. Either way, it’s good to have a selection of newly-published books to expand your outdoor-themed library.

“Guide” type books that instruct by helpful illustrations or step-by-step manual style writing are always good additions to one’s library of reference materials. Whether it’s better graphics for identifying birds or flora, more updated or concise instructions for applying field first aid, or a new slant on a cookbook, most new books are worthy of consideration and review.

Bird, Nest & Egg—The Homes of Forty Extraordinary species by Walter De Raedt—A ‘coffee table’ format of colorful illustrations of both common and foreign species featuring full-color graphics of plumage, habitat, nests and eggs of select bird species. Informative and entertaining, this big picture book makes it easy to thumb through as a reference guide to learn about certain species. Publisher: Rizzoli/New York

Cast-Iron Cooking by Julia Rutland—The title says it all! After introducing the basics of this classic, rustic style of cooking vessel material, this “cookbook” dives headfirst into several categories of cast iron cooking ideas: Breads, appetizers, soups/stews, side dishes, pizza, main courses and desserts.

Recipes are prepared in a variety of vessels, from Dutch ovens to skillets and muffin pans: Chicken with Cornmeal-Herb Dumplings; Mexican Street Corn Skillet; Rosemary Butter-Basted Steak, and more. None of these 150 recipes is particularly complex, and all can be prepared in cast iron cookware. Whether you are the camp chef or just want to enjoy some of your hunting game at home in classic cookware, this book might give you some ideas to put your well-seasoned oven or skillet to even better use. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Eat the Weeds by “Green Deane” Jordan‚ subtitled “Forager’s Guide to Identifying and Harvesting 274 Wild Foods,” this book is at home, both on the self-reliance/survival bookshelf, or carried along in the field. After a brief intro on how to identify plants, the book goes on to an alphabetical listing (and color photographs) of each edible wild plant, offering easy-to-look-up, concise info on notable nutrients, safety notes, identification cues, time of year availability, range/environment, and method of preparation for each species listed.

One caveat of survival wild food consumption is, “If you don’t know what it is… don’t eat it!” This book can help expand that knowledge/awareness base of your self-reliance foraging skills—and perhaps reward your taste buds as well.  Publisher: Adventure Keen

Staying Safe: Backyard to Backcountry by Patrick Brighton, MD—There are dozens of wilderness first aid guides on the market, covering all formats and extent of treatments for myriad injuries and maladies. This particular book offers a Quick Reference Index that enables the user to very quickly find information for a variety of specific measures to deal with those first aid needs.

A broad range of specific categories include quick references to: Common Backcountry Ailments; Broken Bones and Dislocations, plus “Quick Reference to Other Emergencies,” including Appendicitis/Gun Shots/Spinal Cord Injuries, and the list goes on… Once on the page, large subtitles direct you to bullet-pointed listings so you can quickly track down the info you need.

Concise “Treatment” narratives and real-life “Field Reports” summarizing real-life scenario examples make for informative reading prose as well. Even if you have a handbook that comes with your first aid kit of choice, the Staying Safe: Outdoor Medical Handbook is a critical addition for any outdoor-oriented user’s library. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Most books categorized as “Kids” books offer a format and quality of information that most adults would benefit from as well.  Helping kids learn more about all aspects of the outdoors is a great investment in all our futures. “Kids” books expose readers to worlds completely new to them, or to new information that broadens their appreciation and understanding of everything “cool” about the outdoors.

For adult readers, “Kids” books offer quick, easily-understandable info to the extent that it also can teach or remind older readers of what they might have forgotten. Consider these new releases to extend your family outdoor library.

Ultimate Animal Adventure Book by Stacy Tornio & Ken Keffer—A book filled with “745 Quirky Facts and Hands-On Activities for Year-Round Fun” pretty much sums up the style of information to entertain readers for hours, regardless of their age.  Sections on invertebrates, fish, reptiles and birds are further broken down into other factoids and snippets of information from cover to cover, including some myth-busting along the way. This book needs a permanent place on any nature lover’s bookshelf! Publisher: Falcon

Outdoor Cooking For Kids by Buck Tilton & Christine Conners—This is formatted like pretty much all camp cooking books: an intro to making fires; talking about kitchen gear; and explaining the different methods of preparing food (frying, boiling, baking, etc.), and then presents 100 pages of recipes that one can conjure up over hot coals in a campfire. Again, there really should be no age reference for this very handy and easy-to-use book of rib-sticking recipes. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Outdoor Skills for Kids by Buck Tilton & Christine Conners—More easy-to-follow instruction for kids (of all ages) similar to the cooking book but focusing on variety of handy, outdoor skills. At a minimum, it’s a quick reference on most things outdoorsy—from survival tips to avalanche savvy to getting stuck with cactus spines! Color photos and brief paragraphs are coupled into very readable entries throughout the book. Help your kids (and remind yourself) to be aware of all the wonders, challengers and cautions that Ma Nature has in store for us out there! Publisher: Adventure Keen

Nature for Kids by Todd Telander—Want to know about one hundred animals, insects and plants? What is it called? Where does it live? What does it eat? What sounds does it make, and what kind of “Critter Curiosity” is it known for? All that and more in straight-forward, simply illustrated pages—an entertaining reference book of a sampling of cool North American critters. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Mushrooms & Fungi for Kids by Ariel Bonkoski—Mycology—the scientific study of fungi (which includes mushrooms). It’s an area that requires quite a bit of field experience in identifying different varieties of those small, spongy clumps of fungi we often see protruding from trees or popping up through the litter on forest floors. Using a very basic intro for each mushroom, each type is introduced by a color photo, followed by its common name, its habitat, and characteristic descriptive parts (cap, spores, unique color/marking patterns, etc.). Many mushroom “guides” are more in-depth and diagnostic, but few offer such simple, yet definitive info as this particular book that all “kids” should find instructively and enjoyably useful. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Owls, Bird Eggs Nature Playing Cards—There are other ways besides books to learn about the outdoor things around us. Consider the series of Adventure Publication’s nature playing cards that include a variety of natural images including owls and bird eggs. There are many categories and ranges of topics that have been used to adorn playing cards, so why not nature tidbits and photos to help identify the outdoor world we live in? Whether it’s a hot hand of Texas Hold ‘Em during a rainy night in your cabin, or a relaxing game of Solitaire in your tent, these decks of cards offer a full hand of quick nature facts about 15 owl species and 54 different bird eggs. Publisher: Adventure Keen

Lastly, as a nod to my friend and splendid outdoor writer Kenneth Kieser, be on the lookout for his latest, soon-to-be published western saga: Surviving the Crooked Trail. There’s no better setting for a western adventure than sitting by a fire with a good read.

There you have it. Some are directly appropriate for a “self-reliance” bookshelf, while others might just reinforce your knowledge base and expand your general awareness and appreciation of the awesome outdoor world in which we live. It’s always good to give your mind (positive mental attitude) a little factual snack every now and then. Perhaps these books will satisfy that taste!