Camping and Woodcraft - (Handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilde) by Horace Kephart (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Originally published in 1906 as one volume, Camping and Woodcraft was expanded into a two-volume edition in 1916 and 1917. Ranked sixth among the ten best-selling sporting books of all time, Camping and Woodcraft remains a classic for campers and a veritable outdoor enthusiast's bible. This manual reflects Horace Kephart's practical knowledge and covers, in depth, any problem that campers might confront. Kephart lived in the Great Smoky Mountains and spent most of his time in the wild. Consequently, he became an expert on all aspects of camp life from living in a semipermanent lean-to to traveling with only the bare essentials in a backpack. More than simply a hunting or fishing guide, Kephart's book covers a wide variety of subjects from how to dress game and fish to how to shoot accurately. Every chapter is filled with tips that remain useful even after nearly a century of improvements in equipment and technology.

Review Quotes

"This reprint deserves to be a working tool of every friend of the wilderness and life in the out-of-doors. Horace Kephart, a latter day Daniel Boone, leaves with a reader of his works 'the charm of nomadic life in its freedom from care, its unrestrained liberty of action and the proud self-reliance of one who is definitely his own master.'"--John Frazier King "Appalachian Heritage"

About the Author

Before coming the mountains, Horace Kephart (1862-1931) served as librarian of the prestigious Mercantile Library in St. Louis. His significant work, however, was done after he came to live in the Southern Appalachians in 1904. He played important roles in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.

Jim Casada, who has provided an informative introduction to this edition, was professor of history at Winthrop College. He is the author of Smoky Mountain Boyhood, editor-at-large for Sporting Classics and contributing editor for Fly Fishing Heritage.