Free Survival Books: top 25 (Adults 18+, DRAFT, Oct 21 2026)
For the separate "Free Survival Books" button. Legal free copies only: official publishers, governments, UN and Red Cross bodies, or public domain (Project Gutenberg). No pirated copies, and no third-party PDF mirrors. Language notes are as known; check each publisher's page for the latest.
| # | Book | Publisher / status | Free legal link | Why it saves lives | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where There Is No Doctor (new ed.) | Hesperian (free online) | https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/New_Where_There_Is_No_Doctor | Treat common illness and wounds, and know when to refer, with no doctor nearby | 80+ editions worldwide; EN/ES online |
| 2 | Where There Is No Dentist | Hesperian | https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/Where_There_Is_No_Dentist | Stops tooth infections becoming dangerous | EN, ES, others |
| 3 | A Book for Midwives | Hesperian | https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/A_Book_for_Midwives | Safer births where there is no hospital | EN, ES, others |
| 4 | Where Women Have No Doctor | Hesperian | https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/Where_Women_Have_No_Doctor | Women's health and pregnancy dangers in crises | EN, ES, many more |
| 5 | Hesperian catalogue (all titles and languages) | Hesperian | https://hesperian.org/books-and-resources/ | One place to find a book in your language | Many |
| 6 | ATP 3-50.21 Survival (replaced FM 21-76) | US Army, public release (distribution unlimited) | https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN35184-ATP_3-50.21-000-WEB-1.pdf | Water, shelter, fire, signalling, navigation in one manual | EN |
| 7 | Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness | FEMA / Ready.gov (US government) | https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/are-you-ready-guide.pdf | Plans for floods, storms, fires, quakes and power cuts | EN (ES on Ready.gov) |
| 8 | Build a Kit | Ready.gov | https://www.ready.gov/kit | What to pack before disaster hits | EN, ES + more |
| 9 | Ready Kids | Ready.gov | https://www.ready.gov/kids | Helps families prepare children calmly | EN, ES |
| 10 | How to Prepare for Emergencies | American Red Cross | https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html | Family plans, kits and hazard-by-hazard steps | EN, ES |
| 11 | Learn First Aid (free guides) | American Red Cross | https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/resources/learn-first-aid | Quick steps for bleeding, burns, choking | EN |
| 12 | International First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines | IFRC | https://www.ifrc.org/document/international-first-aid-resuscitation-and-education-guidelines | The evidence base behind Red Cross first aid | EN (others via National Societies) |
| 13 | First Aid in Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Violence | ICRC | https://www.icrc.org/en/publication/0870-first-aid-armed-conflicts-and-other-situations-violence | First aid when help is far away and the area is unsafe | EN, FR, AR, ES, RU + more |
| 14 | Household water treatment and safe storage following emergencies and disasters | WHO | https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/publications/household-water-treatment-and-safe-storage-following-emergencies-and-disasters.pdf | Unsafe water is one of the biggest killers after disasters | EN |
| 15 | Technical Note 5: Emergency treatment of drinking water at the point of use | WHO | https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/who-tn-05-emergency-treatment-of-drinking-water-at-the-point-of-use.pdf | Boil, chlorinate, filter: what works | EN (others in the WHO series) |
| 16 | Boil Water (technical brief) | WHO | https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FWC-WSH-15.02 | Why one minute of rolling boil works | EN |
| 17 | Five Keys to Safer Food | WHO | https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241594639 | Prevents food-borne illness | 80+ languages |
| 18 | Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care (3rd ed.) | WHO | https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549356 | Saves mothers and newborns | EN, FR, ES, others |
| 19 | Managing Complications in Pregnancy and Childbirth (2nd ed.) | WHO | https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565493 | Emergency obstetric care | EN + others |
| 20 | The Sphere Handbook | Sphere | https://spherestandards.org/handbook/ | Minimum standards for water, food, shelter and health in crises | 30+ languages |
| 21 | UNHCR Emergency Handbook | UNHCR (online) | https://emergency.unhcr.org/ | How camps organise water, shelter, health and protection | EN, FR, ES, AR |
| 22 | SODIS solar water disinfection | Eawag / SODIS | https://www.sodis.ch/ | Free, fuel-free safe water with sun and bottles | EN, DE, FR, ES + more |
| 23 | Boy Scouts Handbook (1911) | Project Gutenberg, public domain | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29558 | Classic camping, first aid (historic; check modern guidance), knots, fire safety | EN |
| 24 | Scouting for Boys (Baden-Powell) | Project Gutenberg, public domain | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65993 | Woodcraft, tracking, self-reliance | EN |
| 25 | Woodcraft and Camping (G. W. Sears "Nessmuk") | Project Gutenberg, public domain | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34607 | Light-weight camping, shelter and fire from the old masters | EN |
Note on old classics (#23–25): first-aid advice in 100-year-old books is out of date. Use them for woodcraft, and use #1, #11–13 for medicine.
Links checked Oct 21, 2026 (curl -L): - 23 of 25 returned 200. - Sphere (#20) and IFRC (#12) returned 403 to curl; a browser fetch confirmed both are live. - Not listed: FM 21-76. It is superseded by ATP 3-50.21, and its archive.org copy could not be reached from the box, so it is unverified. - Old FEMA PDF link (fema.gov, 403) replaced by the Ready.gov copy. - ICRC War Surgery left out: the shop.icrc.org URLs returned 404.