Camping and Woodcraft is an American classic published by

Horace Kephart Horace Sowers Kephart (September 8, 1862 – April 2, 1931) was an American travel writer and librarian, best known as the author of '' Our Southern Highlanders'' (a memoir about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina ...

in 1916, detailing the practical skill-sets needed to endure the harsh conditions of the wilderness, and to make that experience more enjoyable to the amateur

outdoorsman Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

. The work is a revised and expanded edition of Kephart's 1906 ''Camping and Woodcraft'', a pocket-manual published by the author with the expressed purpose of rendering practical advice and skills to those who travel with minimal gear in places where there are no roads.Kephart (1916), Preface The 1906 printing of the pocket-manual passed through 7 editions in the space of ten years. Kephart's work, as an instructive manual on where and how to

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

, follows in the footsteps of E.R. Wallace's ''Descriptive Guide to the Adirondacks and Handbook of Travel'' (1875). Much of the material, however, used in the compilation of Kephart's book is based on the author's own first-hand experiences in the wilderness and which he transcribed in the field.

Revised edition

The 1916 revised edition consists of two-volumes, each volume containing 23 chapters, replete with illustrations. Among the topics discussed by the author in the first volume on Camping are Tent construction (covering a wide-variety of tents and makeshift shelters), along with their maintenance and methods used in

waterproofing Waterproofing is the process of making an object, person or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resists the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet env ...

; Camp bedding; Clothing; Personal kits; Provisions (with the nutritional value of different foodstuffs); Camp making; the Camp fire; and Camp cookery, among other things. In the second volume on Woodcraft, the author treats on

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

s, hitches and lashings in the 16th chapter of this work, and discusses in its 18th chapter the manner of tanning skins, as well as brings down an inventory of

edible plants Edible plants include: * List of culinary fruits * List of culinary herbs and spices * List of culinary nuts * List of edible cacti * List of edible flowers * List of edible seeds * List of forageable plants (edible plants commonly found in t ...

found in the regions of North America with which he was familiar. Kephart also instructs his readers, in volume 2, what to do if they are ever lost in the woods, and elaborates on how to render

first-aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

in cases of accidents and emergencies. Kephart occasionally draws upon his familiarity with the survival skills of the Native American Indians:

Genuine Indian-tanned buckskin is, properly speaking, not tanned at all. Tanned leather has undergone a chemical change, from the
tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...
or other chemicals used in converting it from the raw hide to leather. Buckskin, on the contrary, is still a raw skin that has been made supple and soft by breaking up the fibers mechanically and has then merely been treated with brains and smoke to preserve its softness. In color and pliability it is somewhat like what is called chamois skin, but it is far stronger and has the singular property that although it shrinks some after wetting and gets stiff in drying, it can easily be made soft as ever by merely rubbing it in the hands.Kephart (1916), vol. 2, p. 309

Reception

The ''

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published for over a century from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. History Founding ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James We ...

'' review compared ''Camping and Woodcraft'' to a textbook in terms of completeness, and concluded that it is an "invaluable" resource for outdoor enthusiasts. ''

The Post-Standard ''The Post-Standard'' is a newspaper serving the greater Syracuse, New York, metro area. Published by Advance Publications, it and sister website Syracuse.com are among the consumer brands of Advance Media New York, alongside NYUp.com and ''Th ...

'' similarly noted: "Mr Kephart manages in this book to cover the whole subject, from underwear to snake bites." ''

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''Kings County Democrat'', later ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' before shortening title further to ''Brooklyn Eagle'') was an afternoon daily newspaper published in the city ...

'' review concluded that the book is "of real service and value" to both novices and those already experienced in outdoor living. According to Morgan Simmons of the ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'', the book has gained a "diehard following" in the years since it was first published.

References

Bibliography

* (reprinted in 1957) * *

External links

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, ,

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recording

Revised edition

Reception

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Further reading