If you want to get some free books on preparedness and emergency survival, check out the list of over 400 downloads below. We've gathered hundreds of survival books and manuals that are in the public domain. Many of these are full-length books, and we included the page numbers so you can quickly identify them.
To download any of them, right-click the file name and select “Save As”.
To download all of them at once, click here.
Animals and Hunting
- Animals for Food (21 pages)
- Basic Hunting (68 pages)
- Basics of Waterfowling (25 pages)
- Building Plans for Poultrymen (132 pages)
- Dangerous Animals (27 pages)
- Dove Hunting for Beginners (11 pages)
- Duck Hunting Tips for Beginners (3 pages)
- Fox Hunting Basics (30 pages)
- Geyelin's Poultry Breeding (144 pages)
- Handbook on Cutting Lamb (33 pages)
- Keeping Rabbits (4 pages)
- Plans for a Complete Beekeeping System (21 pages)
- Poultry Appliances and Handicraft (136 pages)
- Practical Pointers on The Care of Livestock (58 pages)
- Trapper Education Manual (145 pages)
- Tricks of Trapping (240 pages)
- Whitetail Deer Hunting (124 pages)
Bushcraft and Foraging
- Beginner's Guide to Wild Edibles (76 pages)
- Camp Life in the Woods (240 pages)
- Deadfalls and Snares (248 pages)
- Desert Awareness (10 pages)
- FM 3-97.61 Military Mountaineering (331 pages)
- How to Avoid Getting Lost (23 pages)
- How to Build a Debris Hut (9 pages)
- How to Find Your Way (21 pages)
- How to Go Winter Camping (8 pages)
- Knots for Mountaineering (31 pages)
- Marine Combat Water Survival (145 pages)
- Mini Foraging Guide (28 pages)
- Mushrooms From Forest to Plate (42 pages)
- Pioneering Knots and Lashings (18 pages)
- Poisonous Plants (10 pages)
- Ropes, Knots, Ladders, and Lashings (76 pages)
- Signaling and Direction Finding (14 pages)
- The Ten Bushcraft Books (195 pages)
- Urban Foraging (166 pages)
- US Army Mountaineering Techniques (177 pages)
- Wilderness Survival (22 pages)
- Wilderness Survival in the Backcountry (10 pages)
- Winter Survival Handbook (46 pages)
Communication
- Bass Pro Shop Radio Guide (3 pages)
- Best Buy FRS Radio Guide (6 pages)
- Disaster Communications (22 pages)
- Radio Amateurs Handbook (132 pages)
- Shortwave Radio 101 (2 pages)
- Shortwave Radio Handbook (195 pages)
- Survival Communication 101 (5 pages)
- Survival Communications Primer (14 pages)
- Thoughts on Disaster Communications (4 pages)
Cooking and Fire
- Alternate Cooking Methods (11 pages)
- Bucket Stove (3 pages)
- Bush Fungus Stove (3 pages)
- Coal Extenders (2 pages)
- Cook Stove Construction (14 pages)
- Double Drum Sawdust Stove (9 pages)
- Dutch Oven Care (9 pages)
- Emergency Outdoor and Bread Manual (20 pages)
- Expedient Cooking (3 pages)
- Fire By Can (4 pages)
- Fireless Cooker (2 pages)
- How to Clean a Fish (2 pages)
- How to Render Animal Fat (1 pages)
- How to Salt Fish (13 pages)
- Making Charcoal (3 pages)
- Plumber's Stove (3 pages)
- Rocket Stove (3 pages)
- Sawdust Burning Space Heater Stove (10 pages)
- Solar Cookers (58 pages)
- Thermos Bottle Cooking (2 pages)
First Aid
- A Book for Midwives (544 pages)
- Emergency Childbirth (4 pages)
- Emergency Medical Kit (12 pages)
- Emergency War Surgery (488 pages)
- First Aid Management of Minor Injuries (29 pages)
- Flu Home Treatment (11 pages)
- FM 4-25-11 First Aid (223 pages)
- FM 21-11 First Aid for Soldiers (263 pages)
- Home Health Emergency Preparedness (72 pages)
- Home Treatment of Influenza (17 pages)
- Isolation Planning (4 pages)
- Medical Emergencies (18 pages)
- Medical NBC Battlebook (303 pages)
- Medical Survival Wound Closure Manual (127 pages)
- NATO Emergency War Surgery (306 pages)
- Personal Wilderness Medical Kit (26 pages)
- ST 31-91B US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook (407 pages)
- Survival and Austere Medicine (213 pages)
Food and Storage
- 3 Month Supply in 12 Weeks (2 pages)
- Building a Solar Food Dryer (19 pages)
- Canning and Preserving (134 pages)
- Canning Foods (50 pages)
- Canning, Preserving and Jelly Making (232 pages)
- Canning, Preserving and Pickling (319 pages)
- Dehydrating Food (14 pages)
- Dry It, You'll Like It (88 pages)
- Drying Fruits and Vegetables (12 pages)
- Family Food Storage (12 pages)
- Food Storage and Rodents (5 pages)
- Food Storage for One Year (26 pages)
- Food Storage for Survival (15 pages)
- Food Storage in the Home (21 pages)
- Food Storage Planner – Grains and Legumes (13 pages)
- Freezer Bag Meals (13 pages)
- Get Ready Now – Homeland Security (16 pages)
- Growing and Harvesting Wheat by Hand (2 pages)
- Hand Operated Winnower (2 pages)
- Homemade Traps and Snares (9 pages)
- How to Build a Solar Crop Dryer (11 pages)
- How to Dry Fruits and Vegetables (15 pages)
- How to Make a Solar Cabinet Dryer (18 pages)
- Improvised Grain Mill (3 pages)
- Intro to Drip Irrigation (3 pages)
- Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency (3 pages)
- Mylar Bag Sealing Methods (2 pages)
- One Year Emergency Food Supply (5 pages)
- Pantry Pests (4 pages)
- Pedal-Operated Grain Mill (38 pages)
- Plant Identification (21 pages)
- Preparing and Canning Fermented Foods (36 pages)
- Preservation of Fish and Meat (86 pages)
- Preserving Vegetables (24 pages)
- Principles of Home Canning (40 pages)
- Pumpkin Cultivation and Post Harvest Handling (17 pages)
- Shelf Life of Food Storage (2 pages)
- Small Spaces, Small Budgets (26 pages)
- Solar Dehydrator (12 pages)
- Solar Food Drying (8 pages)
- Stocking Food (5 pages)
- Storage of Wheat (11 pages)
- TACDA Emergency Food and Water Supplies (24 pages)
- Traditional Fermented Food and Beverages (86 pages)
- US Army – Dairy (122 pages)
- US Army – Food Deterioration (143 pages)
- US Army – Fruits and Vegetables (192 pages)
- US Army – Poultry (43 pages)
- US Army – Preservation of Foods (101 pages)
- US Army – Red Meats (183 pages)
- US Army – Shell Eggs (146 pages)
- US Army – Water Foods (82 pages)
- Vacuum Packing Seeds (2 pages)
Gardening and Composting
- 10×10 Vegetable Garden Plan (1 page)
- 20×20 Vegetable Garden Plan (1 page)
- A Better Way of Gardening (8 pages)
- Backyard Composting Basics (6 pages)
- Backyard Greenhouse (4 pages)
- Building a Floating Hydroponic Garden (4 pages)
- Colonial Garden Plants (78 pages)
- Complete Guide to Home Composting (79 pages)
- Complete Guide to Vermicomposting (80 pages)
- Container Vegetable Gardening (2 pages)
- Cultivating Vegetables (8 pages)
- Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens (7 pages)
- Farmer's Almanac – Starting a Garden (20 pages)
- Garden Farming (439 pages)
- Gardening in Small Spaces (10 pages)
- Getting Along With Your Garden (17 pages)
- Growing Mini Gardens (4 pages)
- Growing Sweet Corn in Home Gardens (4 pages)
- Growing Vegetables at Home (44 pages)
- Growing Vegetables Basics (4 pages)
- Growing Vegetables From Seed (2 pages)
- Growing Vegetables in Containers (2 pages)
- Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens (20 pages)
- Growing Vegetables Organically (12 pages)
- Growing Voluptuous Vegetables (37 pages)
- Home Vegetable Gardening (4 pages)
- How to Make Fertilizer (12 pages)
- Introduction to Organic Gardening (29 pages)
- Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency (7 pages)
- Mini Gardening (7 pages)
- NC State – Growing Vegetables (4 pages)
- NC State – Home Vegetable Gardening (24 pages)
- Planning a Garden (4 pages)
- Planning Your Garden (326 pages)
- Planning a Home Vegetable Garden (4 pages)
- Raised Bed Gardening (4 pages)
- Seed Saving Guide (30 pages)
- Short-Season Vegetable Gardening (8 pages)
- Small Plastic Greenhouses (21 pages)
- Start a Vegetable Garden (2 pages)
- Starting Garden Transplants At Home (4 pages)
- Starting The Garden With Transplants (4 pages)
- Test The Soil First (5 pages)
- The Amateur Garden (56 pages)
- The Fall Vegetable Garden (2 pages)
- Vegetable Garden Basics (7 pages)
- Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia (261 pages)
- Vegetable Gardening in Containers (4 pages)
General Survival
- Aids to Survival (105 pages)
- All Hazard Preparedness Workbook (60 pages)
- Canada – 11 Steps to Survival (32 pages)
- Captain Dave's Survival Guide (36 pages)
- Childcare Emergency Preparedness Toolbox (20 pages)
- Common Sense Guide to Being Prepared (4 pages)
- Disaster Handbook (166 pages)
- Emergency Preparedness Manual (11 pages)
- Family Disaster Calendar (4 pages)
- Family Emergency Handbook (28 pages)
- Family Emergency Plan Template (5 pages)
- FEMA – Are You Ready? (204 pages)
- Foxfire Book One (383 pages)
- Foxfire Book Two (405 pages)
- Foxfire Book Three (506 pages)
- FRC Preparedness Handbook (140 pages)
- How to Handle a Crisis (160 pages)
- How to Prepare for Any Disaster (46 pages)
- LA Fire Department – Emergency Preparedness (40 pages)
- LDS Preparedness Manual (509 pages)
- Life After Doomsday (182 pages)
- National Security Emergencies (14 pages)
- Practical Emergency Preparedness (24 pages)
- Preparing for Disaster for People with Special Needs (20 pages)
- Ragnar's Urban Survival (186 pages)
- Survival Curriculum (30 pages)
- Survival Skills 101 (10 pages)
- Surviving an Unexpected Emergency (14 pages)
- Surviving in the City (9 pages)
- The Complete Outdoorsman's Handbook (108 pages)
- The Elements of Surviving (33 pages)
- United States Marine Survival Manual (180 pages)
- US Marine Corps Survival Course (180 pages)
- US Marine Corps Survival Manual (571 pages)
- US Navy Seal Survival Handbook (675 pages)
- You Will Survive Doomsday (24 pages)
Health and Sanitation
- Base Camp Hygiene and Health (11 pages)
- Bird Flu Diagnosis and Personal Hygiene (5 pages)
- Diabetes Disaster Preparedness (9 pages)
- Edible Medicinal Plants (39 pages)
- Face Masks During Pandemic (13 pages)
- First Aid in Armed Conflicts (286 pages)
- FM 21-10 Field Hygiene and Sanitation (161 pages)
- FM 21-11 First Aid for Soldiers (263 pages)
- Making Soap (3 pages)
- Management of Asthma (34 pages)
- Mass Casualty Planning and Burial (8 pages)
- Sanitation Basics (6 pages)
- Survival and Austere Medicine (213 pages)
- US Army Storage and Sanitation (135 pages)
- US Marine Corps Wilderness Medicine (375 pages)
- Using Safe Burial Practices (6 pages)
- Where There Is No Dentist (205 pages)
- Where There Is No Doctor (503 pages)
- Wilderness Medical Kit (26 pages)
Miscellaneous
- Art of War (38 pages)
- Bug Out Vehicle Basics (4 pages)
- Candle Making (16 pages)
- Earthquake Preparedness (40 pages)
- Encyclopedia of Knots (49 pages)
- Extreme Cold Prevention Guide (15 pages)
- Farm Blacksmithing (97 pages)
- Fire Safety (6 pages)
- Flood Preparation (24 pages)
- Getting Out of Dodge (5 pages)
- Handbook of Knots and Splices (152 pages)
- How to Handle a Crisis (160 pages)
- How to Use a Compass (36 pages)
- Pandemic Planning Guidance (97 pages)
- Rural Tanning Techniques (265 pages)
- Sea Scout Knots (28 pages)
- Tanning Deer Hides and Small Fur Skins (8 pages)
- The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving (162 pages)
- The Handbook for Practical Farmers (585 pages)
- The Household Cyclopedia (710 pages)
- Tying Farm Knots (6 pages)
- Understanding and Surviving Terrorism (117 pages)
- US Army Soldiers Handbook (80 pages)
- Wood Burning Stoves (6 pages)
NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical)
- 11 Steps to Nuclear Survival (25 pages)
- Chemical Emergencies (11 pages)
- Effects of Nuclear War (154 pages)
- Electromagnetic Pulse Threats (28 pages)
- EMP Commission Report (208 pages)
- EMP Executive Report (62 pages)
- Fallout Protection (24 pages)
- Family Fallout Shelter (32 pages)
- FEMA – Protection in the Nuclear Age (42 pages)
- FM 3-3-1 Nuclear Contamination Avoidance (292 pages)
- FM 3-4 NBC Protection (195 pages)
- FM 3-5 NBC Decontamination (229 pages)
- FM 3-9 Potential Military Compounds (130 pages)
- FM 3-11-4 Multiservice Tactics, Techniques (250 pages)
- FM 4-02 Treatment of Nuclear and Radiological Casualties (180 pages)
- FM 8-284 Treatment of Biological Warfare Agent Casualties (115 pages)
- High Altitude EMP Assessment (17 pages)
- Home Fallout Shelter (4 pages)
- Nuclear War Survival Skills (317 pages)
- Nuclear Weapons Effects (34 pages)
- Nuclear Winter Survival (95 pages)
- Pandemic Flu Citizens Guide (68 pages)
- Protection in the Nuclear Age (42 pages)
- Radiation Protection Manual (175 pages)
- Radiological Defense Officers Course Manual (95 pages)
- Radiological Defense Preparedness (51 pages)
- Recovery from Nuclear Attack (24 pages)
- Social Distancing and Pandemic Readiness (12 pages)
- The ABCs of NBC Warfare Survival (79 pages)
- Threat to US from EMP Attack (62 pages)
- What to Do if a Nuclear Disaster is Imminent (8 pages)
Power and Light
- Biodiesel Safety (25 pages)
- Build Your Own Generator (5 pages)
- Cheap Solar Power System (5 pages)
- Choosing a Backup Generator (5 pages)
- Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (48 pages)
- Foot Power (6 pages)
- Getting Started in Solar (6 pages)
- Heat, Light and Power (4 pages)
- Home Heating in an Emergency (4 pages)
- Home Power Magazine (10 pages)
- Homemade Windmills (79 pages)
- How Do You Live Without Electricity (7 pages)
- Low Voltage Living (5 pages)
- Making Fire With The Bow Drill (6 pages)
- Solar Water Heater (5 pages)
- What If The Electricity Goes Off (10 pages)
- Winter Power Failures (16 pages)
- Wood Gas Generator (90 pages)
Recipes
- 60 Gift Mixes-in-a-Jar Recipes (32 pages)
- 500+ Camping Recipes (144 pages)
- Beef Jerky Recipes (4 pages)
- Belgian Cookbook (175 pages)
- Camping Recipes (150 pages)
- Cloud City Cookbook (84 pages)
- Dutch Oven Cookbook (27 pages)
- Dutch Oven Grill BBQ Recipes (267 pages)
- Fermenting Guide and Recipe Book (32 pages)
- Genesee Valley Cookbook (122 pages)
- Kenton Cookbook (186 pages)
- Modern Women of America Cookbook (297 pages)
- Most for Your Money Cookbook (256 pages)
- Native American Health Recipes (134 pages)
- Philmont Country Cookbook (44 pages)
- Pleasantville Cook-book (125 pages)
- Riverside Recipe Book (141 pages)
- Second Parish Cookbook (189 pages)
- Vegetarian Cook Book (428 pages)
- Westminster Cook Book (77 pages)
Shelter
- Basement Shelter (31 pages)
- Build a Fallout Shelter (48 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-2 (4 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-3 (4 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-4 (4 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-5 (2 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-6 (2 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-7 (4 pages)
- Family Shelter Series PSD F-61-8 (4 pages)
- Home Shelter Above Ground (8 pages)
- Home Shelter Outside Concrete (8 pages)
- In Home Shelter Manual (26 pages)
- Seven Primitive Survival Shelters (6 pages)
- Shelter Management Handbook (25 pages)
- Snow Shelters (16 pages)
- Taking Shelter from The Storm (32 pages)
- Types of Shelters (16 pages)
- US Army Frame Structures (135 pages)
Supplies
- 3 Day Emergency Preps (24 pages)
- 72 Hour Supplies (4 pages)
- Build Your Own Survival Kit (3 pages)
- Compact Survival Kit (10 pages)
- Emergency Preparedness Checklist (4 pages)
- Emergency Supplies Checklist (2 pages)
- General Supplies (3 pages)
- The Bug Out Bag (27 pages)
- The Ultimate Survival Kit Checklist (59 pages)
Water
- Build a Hand Pump (4 pages)
- DIY Home Plumbing Repair (61 pages)
- Distillation for Home Water Treatment (4 pages)
- Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water (4 pages)
- Emergency Water Purification (2 pages)
- Home Made Berkey Water Filter (5 pages)
- How to Make a Solar Still (16 pages)
- How to Purify Water (2 pages)
- Plants as Indicators of Ground Water (115 pages)
- Purification of Water on a Small Scale (19 pages)
- Purify Water in an Emergency (3 pages)
- Rainwater Harvesting Manual (88 pages)
- Safe Water Manual (120 pages)
- Simple Solar Still (9 pages)
- Slow Sand Filters (9 pages)
- Solar Photovotaics For Irrigation Water Pumping (20 pages)
- Water FAQ (17 pages)
- Water Purification (6 pages)
- Water Treatment (37 pages)
- Wind Machine for Pumping Water (16 pages)
Weapons and Defense
- 1911 Notebook (62 pages)
- Be Your Own Bodyguard (38 pages)
- Canada Civil Defense Notebook (41 pages)
- Canada Civil Defense Operations (40 pages)
- Canada Civil Defense Public Information (17 pages)
- Combat Survival and Evasion (126 pages)
- Field Stripping the AR-15 (8 pages)
- FM 3-06 Urban Combat (722 pages)
- FM 5-20 Camouflage (104 pages)
- FM 21-75 Combat Skills of the Soldier (300 pages)
- FM 21-76-1 Survival Evasion Recovery (106 pages)
- FM 21-150 Combatives (223 pages)
- FM 90-10-1 Infantrymans Guide to Combat 350 pages)
- Knife Sharpening (4 pages)
- Military Operations On Urbanized Terrain (368 pages)
- Secrets of Street Self-Defence (59 pages)
- Selecting a Handgun (25 pages)
- SH 21-76 Ranger Handbook (327 pages)
- Survival Battery of Firearms (8 pages)
- Tactical Ready Guide (14 pages)
- The Guerrilla and How to Fight Him (334 pages)
- Total Resistance (93 pages)