Best survival books and handbooks for UK households (2026)
Many survival books are written for the wild: being lost in a jungle or adrift at sea. A UK household is far more likely to need first aid, a way to find its route without a phone, or the confidence to spend a long walk or a power cut without panic. This page compares eight books that are in print and on sale in the UK: John Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook and its pocket edition, the First Aid Manual written by St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and the British Red Cross, Richard Mabey's Food for Free, and navigation and hill-walking handbooks from Cicerone and Mountain Training. Editions, formats and contents come from the publishers and UK booksellers; we have not tested the skills in them ourselves.
By Tom Calder · Updated 4 November 2026 · 7 products, 4 of 7 price-tracked
Our picks by type
Photo: AmazonSAS Survival Handbook
One thorough reference that covers the whole survival syllabus, from kit and shelter to navigation, food and first aid.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Photo: AmazonFirst Aid Manual (11th ed.)
Every home: the UK's standard first aid reference, and the most likely book on this page to be needed.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Photo: AmazonNavigation (Pete Hawkins)
Learning to read an Ordnance Survey map and use a compass, so you are not relying on a phone.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Food for Free (50th anniversary)
Learning which wild plants, berries and nuts in Britain are edible, at home before you go out.
Photo: AmazonCollins Gem SAS Survival Guide
A survival guide small enough to keep in a grab bag, car or rucksack.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.All 7 compared
| Book | Type | Edition | Format / pages | Good to know | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. First Aid Manual, 11th edition (St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and British Red Cross; DK) The book to buy first First aid manual · 11th edition, DK, 2021 · Paperback, 296 pages · Written and authorised by St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and the British Red Cross Every home: the UK's standard first aid reference, and the most likely book on this page to be needed. | First aid manual | 11th edition, DK, 2021 | Paperback, 296 pages | Written and authorised by St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and the British Red Cross | £8.99 at Amazon as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The First Aid Manual is written and authorised by the UK's three leading first aid organisations and is the official manual for their courses. The 11th edition covers more than 100 conditions, including care for babies and children, resuscitation and mental health crises, with step-by-step photographs. It is the book here most likely to help in an ordinary year, which is why we would buy it before any survival title. Best for Every home: the UK's standard first aid reference, and the most likely book on this page to be needed. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you already have the 11th edition from a workplace course: it is the same book. | |||||
2. SAS Survival Handbook by John 'Lofty' Wiseman (William Collins, paperback) Best survival handbook All-round survival handbook · Fully updated edition, William Collins, 2014 · Paperback, 672 pages · Covers kit, navigation, food, health, safety and disasters such as floods and fires One thorough reference that covers the whole survival syllabus, from kit and shelter to navigation, food and first aid. | All-round survival handbook | Fully updated edition, William Collins, 2014 | Paperback, 672 pages | Covers kit, navigation, food, health, safety and disasters such as floods and fires | £15.39 at Amazon as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched John Wiseman served 26 years in the SAS, and this is the full-size version of his multimillion-copy bestseller. The publisher's description covers preparing and packing kit, navigation (updated for GPS), finding and preparing food, health, personal safety and coping with disasters such as flooding and fire. At 672 pages it is a reference to read at home, not something to carry. Best for One thorough reference that covers the whole survival syllabus, from kit and shelter to navigation, food and first aid. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a book for the grab bag or the car: the pocket Collins Gem version is the one to carry. | |||||
3. Navigation: Techniques and skills for walkers by Pete Hawkins (Cicerone, 2nd edition) Best navigation book Map and compass guide · 2nd edition, Cicerone · Pocket paperback · Includes a romer, map scales and timing and pacing charts Learning to read an Ordnance Survey map and use a compass, so you are not relying on a phone. | Map and compass guide | 2nd edition, Cicerone | Pocket paperback | Includes a romer, map scales and timing and pacing charts | £10.95 at Amazon as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Pete Hawkins' pocket guide covers scales and grid references, map symbols, contours, taking bearings, route planning, and navigating at night and in bad weather, with a GPS used alongside the map rather than instead of it. It includes practical exercises, a romer and pacing charts. Mountain Rescue England and Wales' advice is not to rely on a phone, as many areas have no signal; this is the cheapest way to learn the alternative. Best for Learning to read an Ordnance Survey map and use a compass, so you are not relying on a phone. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you only ever navigate by road: a road atlas does that job better. | |||||
4. Food for Free by Richard Mabey, 50th anniversary edition (Collins, hardback) Best UK foraging guide UK foraging guide · 50th anniversary edition, Collins, 2022 · Hardback, 288 pages · Colour plates by botanical artists; never out of print since 1972 Learning which wild plants, berries and nuts in Britain are edible, at home before you go out. | UK foraging guide | 50th anniversary edition, Collins, 2022 | Hardback, 288 pages | Colour plates by botanical artists; never out of print since 1972 | |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Richard Mabey's Food for Free has been in print since 1972. The 50th anniversary hardback adds a new foreword and a section of colour plates by botanical artists, and covers identifying, collecting and preparing wild food, with its history and folklore. Treat it as a guide to learn from, not proof that what is in your hand is safe to eat: the Food Standards Agency's advice on wild mushrooms is never to forage or eat them unless you are certain of the identification. Best for Learning which wild plants, berries and nuts in Britain are edible, at home before you go out. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you mainly want to pick wild mushrooms: learn those with an experienced forager, not from a book. | |||||
5. SAS Survival Guide by John 'Lofty' Wiseman (Collins Gem pocket edition) Best pocket guide for a grab bag Pocket survival guide · Collins Gem, 2015 · Pocket paperback, 384 pages · About 117 x 82mm, small enough for a grab bag or glovebox A survival guide small enough to keep in a grab bag, car or rucksack. | Pocket survival guide | Collins Gem, 2015 | Pocket paperback, 384 pages | About 117 x 82mm, small enough for a grab bag or glovebox | £7.55 at Amazon as of 4 Nov 2026, 12:07 GMT · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The Collins Gem edition of Wiseman's guide is a small pocket paperback of 384 pages. Its description lists the same five subject areas as the full handbook (preparation and kit, navigation, food and health, safety, and responding to disasters such as floods and fires) in a shorter pocket format. At about 117 x 82mm it is built for carrying rather than long reading. Best for A survival guide small enough to keep in a grab bag, car or rucksack. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you already own the full SAS Survival Handbook and only want it for reading at home. | |||||
Hill skills handbook · 3rd edition, Mountain Training, 2014 · Paperback · 14 chapters; the handbook for Mountain Training's Hill and Mountain Skills courses Walkers who head into the British hills and want the official handbook behind the UK's walking courses. | Hill skills handbook | 3rd edition, Mountain Training, 2014 | Paperback | 14 chapters; the handbook for Mountain Training's Hill and Mountain Skills courses | |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Mountain Training's own handbook, by IFMGA mountain guide Steve Long, runs to 14 chapters on planning, navigation, weather, camping and emergency response, and is linked to its Hill Skills and Mountain Skills courses. The third edition adds updated access information and more on navigation. It is about staying safe on real British hills, which makes it more useful to most UK readers than a jungle survival guide. Best for Walkers who head into the British hills and want the official handbook behind the UK's walking courses. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you don't walk in the hills: the First Aid Manual is the better buy for a household. | |||||
Navigation guide · 2nd revised edition, Cicerone, 2013 · Paperback, 160 pages · Illustrated with OS mapping and the author's photographs; practice appendices A fuller, illustrated introduction to navigation, from complete novices up. | Navigation guide | 2nd revised edition, Cicerone, 2013 | Paperback, 160 pages | Illustrated with OS mapping and the author's photographs; practice appendices | |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Hawkins' larger book is a guide to navigation "from map and compass to GPS", for complete novices and experienced hillwalkers alike. It explains the tools available, is illustrated with the author's photographs and Ordnance Survey mapping, and ends with appendices of practice techniques. It is the one to read at home; his pocket Navigation book is the one to carry. Best for A fuller, illustrated introduction to navigation, from complete novices up. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want one navigation book to carry: the pocket Navigation guide does that. | |||||
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Before you buy
Start with what is likely to happen to you.
For most UK households that means someone hurt at home or on a walk, a long power cut, being cut off by snow or flood for a few days, or losing the phone signal somewhere remote. A first aid manual covers the first of those better than any survival book, and a navigation book covers the last. The classic survival handbooks are broad and enjoyable, but much of their content is about wilderness and expeditions, so read them as a general grounding rather than a household plan.
The best survival book for most people is still John 'Lofty' Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook.
Wiseman served 26 years in the SAS, and the William Collins edition sold in the UK runs to 672 pages, covering kit, navigation, food, health, personal safety and disasters such as flooding and fire. It is a book for the shelf. The Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide is a shorter, 384-page pocket version under the same subject headings, and the one to put in a grab bag or glovebox.
The First Aid Manual is the book we would buy first.
It is written and authorised by St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and the British Red Cross, and it is the official manual for their courses. The current edition is the 11th, published by DK in 2021, covering more than 100 conditions with step-by-step photographs. Check the edition number before buying second-hand: the 11th (2021) is the latest edition we could find. It was published before Resuscitation Council UK's 2025 guidelines, so a first aid course will teach the latest CPR and choking steps. The British Red Cross also offers free first aid apps for Android and Apple phones, which are worth having alongside the book.
For navigation, Ordnance Survey advises carrying a paper map and compass as back-up if you navigate with a GPS device, and Mountain Rescue England and Wales says not to rely on your phone, as in many areas there is no signal. Pete Hawkins' pocket Navigation guide from Cicerone teaches grid references, contours, bearings and bad-weather navigation with exercises to work through; his longer Map and Compass is the fuller illustrated introduction. Mountain Training's Hill Walking handbook goes further, into planning, weather and emergency response in the British hills.
Foraging books need the most care.
Richard Mabey's Food for Free, in print since 1972, is the British classic, as a 50th anniversary hardback with colour plates or a cheap Collins Gem for the pocket. Use it to learn plants, berries and nuts over several seasons. Wild mushrooms are different: the Food Standards Agency says they are easy to misidentify and some are very poisonous, and the National Poisons Information Service warned in 2014 that telling toxic from non-toxic species is not always easy even for experienced foragers. Learn fungi with an expert in person, if at all. If someone may have eaten a poisonous plant or mushroom, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E, or call 111 if you are not sure it is harmful.
Format matters more than it seems.
A paperback you will actually open beats a hardback kept for best, and a pocket edition is the only kind that belongs in a grab bag, where every gram counts. Booksellers often sell older editions alongside current ones, so match the ISBN on this page rather than the cover. And a book needs no battery or signal: in a long power cut it is the one source of information that still works when the phone has gone flat.
We verify every product's specifications against at least two independent sources, re-check its UK price and stock on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and cross-check safety-relevant claims against official guidance. Every review is labelled Researched or Used and reviewed by us: where we've bought a product, or been sent it free, and used it ourselves, its review says which; where we haven't, our verdict is a considered spec-and-evidence comparison, not a hands-on test. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Read our full methodology →
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Common questions
What is the best survival book?
For a general survival handbook, John 'Lofty' Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook is the most complete, at 672 pages covering kit, navigation, food, health, personal safety and disasters such as floods and fires. For a UK household, though, the most useful book is the First Aid Manual, written by St John Ambulance, St Andrew's First Aid and the British Red Cross, because injuries at home are far more likely than being lost in the wild.
Which edition of the SAS Survival Handbook should I buy?
In the UK the current full-size book is the William Collins paperback, ISBN 9780007595860, the fully updated William Collins edition published in November 2014. The pocket Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide (ISBN 9780008133788) covers the same subject headings in a shorter pocket format. Older editions are still sold second-hand; check the ISBN before you buy.
Is there a survival handbook for UK conditions?
Most survival handbooks are written for the wild anywhere in the world. For UK conditions, Mountain Training's Hill Walking handbook covers planning, navigation, weather and emergency response in British hills, and Richard Mabey's Food for Free is the classic British foraging guide. For emergencies at home, the government's Be Ready guidance is the UK starting point, and the First Aid Manual is the UK standard first aid reference.
Can I learn first aid from a book?
A book is a good reference, but it is not a substitute for practice. The government's Be Ready guidance asks households to learn some basic first aid skills, and suggests checking online for free workshops or asking whether your employer will pay for a course. The First Aid Manual is the official training manual for the courses run by the UK's leading first aid organisations, so it pairs naturally with one.
Are foraging books safe to use?
For plants, berries and nuts, a good guide such as Food for Free is a sound way to learn, provided you only eat what you can identify with certainty. For mushrooms, no book should be the final check: the Food Standards Agency says wild mushrooms are easy to misidentify and some are very poisonous, so never forage or eat them unless you are certain, and if in doubt, leave them. Learn fungi from an experienced forager in person.
Should I keep a survival book in my grab bag?
Only a small one. A pocket edition such as the Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide adds little weight, and a printed page works with no battery or signal. Far more important are the items on the government's Be Ready emergency kit checklist, such as water, a torch, an FM radio, essential medication and copies of IDs and documents. Keep the full-size handbooks at home.
Sources (13)
- GOV.UK Be Ready, 'Be ready for emergencies' (read 4 Nov 2026): 'Learn some basic first aid skills. Check online to find free workshops or ask if your employer will pay for a course.'
- Food Standards Agency, 'Guidance for safe foraging' on GOV.UK (2023): wild mushrooms 'are easy to misidentify, and some are very poisonous'; 'Never forage or eat wild mushrooms if you are not certain of their identification.'
- Public Health England / National Poisons Information Service, 'Take care when picking mushrooms, poisons experts warn' (2 Oct 2014)
- NHS, Poisoning: what to do (reviewed 12 June 2025)
- British Red Cross, free first aid apps
- Mountain Rescue England and Wales, 'Make your good day better' safety leaflet: 'Get the skills before you go'; 'Don't rely on your phone to get you out of trouble'
- Ordnance Survey, 'OS urge people to stay safe this summer' (29 July 2020): 'If you prefer to navigate with a GPS device, do carry a paper map and compass as back-up'
- Mountain Training, Hill Walking: the official handbook
- Times Bookshop: SAS Survival Handbook (William Collins, 9780007595860)
- Times Bookshop: First Aid Manual, 11th edition (DK, 9780241446300)
- Times Bookshop: Food for Free, 50th anniversary edition (Collins, 9780008543105)
- Cordee: Navigation, Pete Hawkins (Cicerone, 9781852848910)
- Cordee: Map and Compass, Pete Hawkins (Cicerone, 9781852845988)
