Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters (Dover Crafts: Building & Construction) 

Review of book Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters

It is hard to believe that a book published almost 100 years ago is still very relevant and practically useful today. It is very, very dense yet still very readable. Throughout the book, multiple figures are arranged to tightly fit into one page. I do not know if this book represents the writing style of 100 years ago. I think a modern author would quadruple the size of the book.

I am an avid outdoor person, and I wanted to obtain some knowledge about different outdoor shelters that I see all the time, and I received this book as a gift. It offers much more information than I originally anticipated. I am amazed by what shelters can be built with some simple tools. The author, one of the founders of Boy Scouts of America, actually lived in a log house built by himself. I suspect most of the content is from the author's own experience in building various kinds of architecture, from simple shelters to fairly sophisticated houses. Modern lightweight tents may be the primary temporary outdoor shelters nowadays, but wood shelters are still loved by hikers and campers. This book is invaluable for educating kids to gain some basic carpentry and outdoor knowledge, nurture their sense of independence and responsibility, and offer them the tremendous joy of staying in what they built by themselves.