Steven Donovan
Active member
Do not underestimate Tolkien.
Books that shaped your outlook on adventure or manhood.
- Thread starter Shane Limbeck
- Start date
-
Join our community of outdoor enthusiasts! Subscribe to Field Ethos Magazine to unlock full forum access and connect with fellow adventurers sharing their stories, tips, and experiences.
If you are already a subscriber, log in here.
Steven Donovan
Active member
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough.
robertmullins
New member
River of Doubt by Candice Miller about Theodore Roosevelts epic trip down the river by the same name was pretty good.
Milo'sSyndicate
Well-known member
Additional(s): Quiet weapons for Silent Wars, Tom Sawyer, Heart of Darkness by Conrad, and Plato's the Cave. Between Plato and Conrad and Shakespeare, I'm not sure which one has been more plagiarized into a "new story" of humanity's conditions...
Al "Shifty" Schultz
Well-known member
I'm a bit of a bookworm and am fortunate enough to have a nice library of my own.. several books have touched me, including the Bible.. but Marcus Aurelius "Meditations".. primarily for the philosophical reasoning and life lessons stands out as one.. Wilderness Hunting and Wildcraft by Col. Townsend Whelen is another.. it was published in 1927 but his observations withstand the test of time..
Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley in Search of America" is another one.. and it inspired me to take my travel trailer on a 14,000 + mile jaunt around the lower 48 completing my quest to hit every National Park in the lower 48...
Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley in Search of America" is another one.. and it inspired me to take my travel trailer on a 14,000 + mile jaunt around the lower 48 completing my quest to hit every National Park in the lower 48...
Attachments
Al "Shifty" Schultz
Well-known member
Three books that really helped/shaped my professional life were:
1.) On Combat (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
2.) On Killing (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
3.) The Complete .50 Caliber Sniper Course
- Hard target interdiction (Dean Michaelis)
Lt. Col. Grossman is a dynamic speaker and knows what he's talking about. I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of his seminars and I promise if you are in the combat arms profession you will benefit..
Dean Michaelis was a Sgt First Class and knows A LOT about shooting.. his book is specifically geared towards.50 caliber hard target interdiction (which we incorporated on our SWAT team to stop/interdict airplane engines on the runway, penetrate heavy airplane windshield glass, bus engines during tubular assualts, train glass, train engines, ship control tower glass, (such as our ferry boats out here, etc.. but, regardless.. the techniques and methods discussed and taught in the book are equally applicable to sniping and marksmanship of any type..
I highly recommend the section regarding Parallel Bore Zeroing... It revolutionized my extreme distance shooting...
1.) On Combat (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
2.) On Killing (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
3.) The Complete .50 Caliber Sniper Course
- Hard target interdiction (Dean Michaelis)
Lt. Col. Grossman is a dynamic speaker and knows what he's talking about. I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of his seminars and I promise if you are in the combat arms profession you will benefit..
Dean Michaelis was a Sgt First Class and knows A LOT about shooting.. his book is specifically geared towards.50 caliber hard target interdiction (which we incorporated on our SWAT team to stop/interdict airplane engines on the runway, penetrate heavy airplane windshield glass, bus engines during tubular assualts, train glass, train engines, ship control tower glass, (such as our ferry boats out here, etc.. but, regardless.. the techniques and methods discussed and taught in the book are equally applicable to sniping and marksmanship of any type..
I highly recommend the section regarding Parallel Bore Zeroing... It revolutionized my extreme distance shooting...
Attachments
Kyle Wright
Active member
Just finished The Lost City of Z and would recommend. It reminded me a bit of Into the Wild in that both authors try to address and define that temptation which leads us to abandon the known and its comforts for the unknown and its challenges.
YETI
Well-known member
That is a very good book
A lot of great ones have been listed here already. Some that haven't been mentioned:
The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour
The Ponga Jim Mayo series by Louis L'Amour
The American Boys Handy Book by Daniel Carter Beard
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
Unintended Consequences by John Ross
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour
The Ponga Jim Mayo series by Louis L'Amour
The American Boys Handy Book by Daniel Carter Beard
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
Unintended Consequences by John Ross
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
Tigrero by Sasha Siegel is pretty hard to beat
Steve Johnson
Active member
All of Jim Kjelgaard's dog books in my youth
Wilson Rawls - "Where The Red Fern Grows"
William H. Armstrong - "Sounder"
Jim Corbett - "ManEaters of Kumaon" & "My India"
Peter Hathaway Capstick - "Warrior"
John Ross - "Unintended Consequences"
among others...
Wilson Rawls - "Where The Red Fern Grows"
William H. Armstrong - "Sounder"
Jim Corbett - "ManEaters of Kumaon" & "My India"
Peter Hathaway Capstick - "Warrior"
John Ross - "Unintended Consequences"
among others...
Steven Donovan
Active member
Once an Eagle - Anton Myrer - I would advise caution with that book. Can explain in DM's for anyone curious.
Steven Donovan
Active member
Recommend the Amazon series as well.
Al "Shifty" Schultz
Well-known member
A handful of these I have read and thoroughly enjoyed as well. Thanks for the list, I'll try some of these others!
Steven Donovan
Active member
1.) On Combat (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
2.) On Killing (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)
I also recommend reading SLAM The Influence of SLA Marshall on the United States Army, by Major F.D.G. Williams. Also, Men Against Fire written by SLA Marshall himself. As you probably know, the majority of Grossman's work is basically a continuation of SLA Marshall and doesn't deviate much from it at all - though Grossman does add his own research, opinions, and thoughts on top of it. Ultimately, Grossman's work carries many of the same strengths/weaknesses as SLA M. Some historians and military leaders (Gavin, Ridgeway) have found problems with the work based off their own experience, and SLA Marshall's own military record is kind of questionable... Luckily, a lot of good military historians also cover the psychology of killing pretty honestly in their own work (Rick Atkinson and John Keegan for example). My own experience, research, and work (both in and out of the Army) has led me to develop my own disagreements/refinements of Grossman's thoughts as well...
But all that being said, like you, I definitely still recommend On Combat and On Killing as a general initial dive into the subject... Grossman is willing to look at it pretty directly, and I think he has to be strongly commended for that. I initially read them when I was at West Point while I was studying psychology there (though I didn't overlap with Grossman when he was an actual professor).
Kyle Wright
Active member
Where The Red Fern Grows wrecked me as a kid.
YETI
Well-known member
I'm going to DM you. I've heard about this book many times beginning with Boot Camp so I'm curious why you advise caution.
Steve Johnson
Active member
I read it again, not long ago. My son found himself a hound puppy after he read it in school. Turns out, the book still fucks me up a little as an adult... lol Dogs are just special critters.
Bakes
Well-known member
Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight. If you want a taste:
