‘The Book of Building Fires’

Millions of years ago, our earliest ancestors discovered and developed control of fire. It’s kind of what us put us on the map and allowed us to survive as a species. All these years, Boy Scout classes and modern innovations later, it’s safe to say we’ve mastered this particular element. But when was the last time you kneeled down and really tried to make the perfect fire? It’s harder than it seems in an age of pocket torches and butane lighters, but it doesn’t have to be with The Book of Building Fires: How to Master the Art of the Perfect Fire (Survival Books for Adults, Camping Books, Survival Guide Book). This hardcover tome written by S. Coulthard and illustrated by Claire McCracken breaks down advice for wood sourcing, chopping and storing, building and lighting the ideal stack and even cooking over an open flame in precise detail with plenty of pictures to match. If you didn’t pay enough attention in the Boy Scouts–and who did, really–this is all the refresher course you’ll need to be building fires like a modern frontiersman.