The Worst Case Scenario Almanac: The Great Outdoors

Book was exactly what I wanted. Shipped in a timely manner and in excellent condition. I bought this for a gift for my husband. He's a bow and rifle hunter. He loves the book. Recommend it to any outdoors man.

This second attempt in the almanac format represents a noticeable improvement over The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: History, because the chosen topic, the Great Outdoors, is one that (unlike History) actually needs to be survived. Like the first almanac this book manages only a paltry 30 scenarios in its 268 pages, but at least in this book the "filler" material is often useful. Survival myths get debunked, important survival tips are set off by lines of slashes, stories of survival offer important lessons, and slightly over half of the remaining tables contain useful information. Unfortunately that still leaves a lot of useless if marginally interesting material, some of it little more than blatant environmentalist wacko-ism and some of it just snarky and asinine. All things considered, I can recommend this book, but I am considerably more dubious about the next book in the series: The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: Politics, which turns out to be an unjustified waste of what the authors clearly regard as "sacred" trees.

The book covers some classic worst case scenarios. For instance, how does a person control a mob of people seemingly out of control. The preferred method is to stand above the mob and view it as a single unit. Show no fear and stroke the ego of individuals present. There is a section describing playground politics and strategies to handle the phenomenon. The author covers strategies aimed at working in a hostile room. Plan your exit and harmonize with the people present. There is a section which explains how to give a toast at a formal dinner. Occasionally, unique anecdotes are provided. For instance, Beethoven changed the name of a musical piece from the Bonaparte Symphony to Heroic. In 1872, a drunk man was given a year in jail for herding cows while drunk. The work is a bit of an oddity in a world of books which address more mundane things. For this reason, the presentation is interesting and challenging. I'm not certain whether or not everyone would enjoy this book because of the unusual content.

This is wonderful writing, and a fun read. Entertaining to the n^th degree. Hopefully not useful.

I was very satisfied with the condition of the book. So was my son Joe, to whom I gave it.The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors, Second Edition