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Primitive Technology: A Survivalist's Guide to Building Tools, Shelters & More in the Wild
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR SURVIVALISTS, OUTDOOR LOVERS AND ARMCHAIR ADMIRERS OF PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY.
Disconnect from digital and reconnect with your inner caveman.
BUILD. COOK. HUNT. HEAT. SURVIVE.
COULD YOU THRIVE IN THE WILDERNESS?
The most primitive human skills unite us all, yet we live in an age more detached than ever. Reconnect with the earth and learn how to build things by hand from scratch, guided by the creator of the world’s most popular primitive technology YouTube channel, John Plant.
Watched by millions online, this is the first time Primitive Technology’s ancient methods, rooted in fire, stone, earth, water and plants, have been comprehensively laid out in a book. Through illustrations, photographs and instruction, learn how to create something useful from natural resources and become skilled in the art of fire starting, pottery making, shelter building, spear throwing, basket crafting and much more.
Whether you are a seasoned survivalist, a lover of the outdoors or an armchair admirer, these primitive crafts teach us all something about the fundamentals of human life on earth.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2019
159 people are currently reading
1039 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 13, 2020
As a fan of the Primitive Technology YouTube channel, I think that this book works well as a companion to the videos, but it would have a harder time standing on its own. The book is beautiful, with many gorgeous photographs as well as hand-drawn illustrations. There are a wide variety of projects from simple tools to pyrotechnology to shelters, each with step-by-step instructions and accompanying photographs. However, I think that the descriptions of these projects, as well as the instructions, can be a little sparse. I think that using this book alone would make it much harder to complete these projects than using the book in conjunction with the YouTube videos.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book, and it's a nice addition to the YouTube videos. However, for me personally, I think it works best when combined with those videos, rather than as a separate reference/how-to guide.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book, and it's a nice addition to the YouTube videos. However, for me personally, I think it works best when combined with those videos, rather than as a separate reference/how-to guide.
December 19, 2019
I am a big fan of the Youtube videos. I will admit, I bought the book more to support the author then for having any interest in figuring out how to do the things he does in the wild.
In my opinion this book is a very nice coffee table book and that is where mine resides. I do not think it is a "how to" book at all as I don't think I would be able to follow any of his instructions and get the results intended. I personally felt that too many things were very short on verbiage and were trying to rely on pictures (which were beautiful) to convey what was going on. I know I probably would need ten pages and numerous illustrations to show exactly how he makes fire so easy. The TV show survivor makes it look almost impossible, but he seems like he can whip up a fire at any time.
In my opinion this book is a very nice coffee table book and that is where mine resides. I do not think it is a "how to" book at all as I don't think I would be able to follow any of his instructions and get the results intended. I personally felt that too many things were very short on verbiage and were trying to rely on pictures (which were beautiful) to convey what was going on. I know I probably would need ten pages and numerous illustrations to show exactly how he makes fire so easy. The TV show survivor makes it look almost impossible, but he seems like he can whip up a fire at any time.
October 4, 2025
A long-standing Youtube channel writes a book to accompany the videos.
Like the channel’s videos, projects here build on each other, requiring tools and skills previously learned to complete the more complex tasks. Also like the videos, most tasks will make you want to spend a season in the middle of nowhere trying to build your own remote village.
Basic Tools, Heat, Hunt, Textiles, Advanced Tools, Shelter, and Pyrotechnology are the chapters. The pictures accompanying the instructions are high-quality color photos (usually 3 or 4, possibly screenshots from videos?), which were helpful. But the final results were always an illustration. Why not also show a real photo for the finished product? An illustration on the task's first page would be fine to associate it with the description. But a real photo of the finished task after the step-by-step would be ideal. Some of the illustrations had transparent parts to see what was going on inside, but in those cases include them alongside the real picture. Adequate pictures and thorough instructions are surprisingly hard to come by in these outdoor guides.
The main drawback for me is that the Youtube videos (with captions on) are far more informative than this book. I’d much rather watch his six minute chimney video than try to build a chimney with the four steps and four pictures provided here. So, personally, the book serves as a collection of all of the channel’s projects, and puts them in a helpful and orderly sequence. For an inexperienced reader like me, the projects typically didn’t come with enough steps, pictures, and information to make this stand on its own. Definitely check out the author's channel, or get the book if you're a fan and want to show support, because he does awesome things.
Like the channel’s videos, projects here build on each other, requiring tools and skills previously learned to complete the more complex tasks. Also like the videos, most tasks will make you want to spend a season in the middle of nowhere trying to build your own remote village.
Basic Tools, Heat, Hunt, Textiles, Advanced Tools, Shelter, and Pyrotechnology are the chapters. The pictures accompanying the instructions are high-quality color photos (usually 3 or 4, possibly screenshots from videos?), which were helpful. But the final results were always an illustration. Why not also show a real photo for the finished product? An illustration on the task's first page would be fine to associate it with the description. But a real photo of the finished task after the step-by-step would be ideal. Some of the illustrations had transparent parts to see what was going on inside, but in those cases include them alongside the real picture. Adequate pictures and thorough instructions are surprisingly hard to come by in these outdoor guides.
The main drawback for me is that the Youtube videos (with captions on) are far more informative than this book. I’d much rather watch his six minute chimney video than try to build a chimney with the four steps and four pictures provided here. So, personally, the book serves as a collection of all of the channel’s projects, and puts them in a helpful and orderly sequence. For an inexperienced reader like me, the projects typically didn’t come with enough steps, pictures, and information to make this stand on its own. Definitely check out the author's channel, or get the book if you're a fan and want to show support, because he does awesome things.
May 29, 2020
This book was not a how to manual. It was more of an addendum to John Plants Youtube chanel.
August 13, 2023
I personally think this book is really neat. And the same can be said about the author, John Plant
First, that last name is *chefs kiss* it is super cool!
Second, he just seems like a really cool person who makes really awesome things.
I love how even when Australia has legal restrictions on hunting, he has some how come up with these neat alternatives.
I love that in this book you have the message of taking care of the environment as well, which is great!
And you can tell a lot of work has been put into this book and just everything he does and creates.
I have never checked out his YouTube channel but it still seems neat. I will admit I think the YouTube videos might explain how to make things better then the book. As it is harder to follow along what to do step by step.
Either way, interesting book!
First, that last name is *chefs kiss* it is super cool!
Second, he just seems like a really cool person who makes really awesome things.
I love how even when Australia has legal restrictions on hunting, he has some how come up with these neat alternatives.
I love that in this book you have the message of taking care of the environment as well, which is great!
And you can tell a lot of work has been put into this book and just everything he does and creates.
I have never checked out his YouTube channel but it still seems neat. I will admit I think the YouTube videos might explain how to make things better then the book. As it is harder to follow along what to do step by step.
Either way, interesting book!
December 8, 2019
I would have lived and died for this book when I was a kid.
August 18, 2020
A good descriptive guide that goes well with the YouTube channel. Can't wait for the sequel.
May 21, 2020
To start, I will say that I adore the YouTube channel that forms the basis for this book. The simple premise of a man using modern knowledge but ancient technology to build tools, crafts, and huts in the wilderness is fantastic. The lack of narration, the clear camera angles, and the beautiful natural surroundings make each video mesmerizing.
Unfortunately, this book is more or less just a "port" of that content to a new media, and it just doesn't work as well. I appreciate the plentiful drawings and illustrations. I like the explanation of what he is doing and some of the reasoning behind it. However, most, if not all of this detail was available just by turning on the closed captioning for the videos.
I bought the book as a way to support the channel, so I have no regrets in that regard. I really like the production of the book; it's well-made and the illustrations remind me of old Boy Scout manuals. As a "survivalist's guide," I would think this is rather lacking; but as a way to enjoy the ingenuity of Mr. Plant as well as all of our ancestors, it was satisfying.
Unfortunately, this book is more or less just a "port" of that content to a new media, and it just doesn't work as well. I appreciate the plentiful drawings and illustrations. I like the explanation of what he is doing and some of the reasoning behind it. However, most, if not all of this detail was available just by turning on the closed captioning for the videos.
I bought the book as a way to support the channel, so I have no regrets in that regard. I really like the production of the book; it's well-made and the illustrations remind me of old Boy Scout manuals. As a "survivalist's guide," I would think this is rather lacking; but as a way to enjoy the ingenuity of Mr. Plant as well as all of our ancestors, it was satisfying.
March 20, 2020
I love this guy's youtube channel. Been a fan for a long time. Unfortunately, this book feels more like an advertisement for his videos than like a new project. It's as if he had no interest in making it but was convinced by some publisher that it would be easy money or something. They basically just take stills from his videos and add a couple sentences of description. The photo quality is great compared to other books and there are good illustrations as well but it really lacks the detail needed for people to learn how to do anything correctly. There's no personal story about the author, no philosophy about why anyone in the modern world should care about these skills, and it's even missing some of the essentials that you'd expect in a book like this, such as dressing hides, purifying water, etc. There aren't too many other primitive survival books that include ash cement, ceramic roof tiles, heated floors, water-powered hammers or metallurgy though. It still is interesting enough that I can at least recommend flipping through it. I definitely didn't hate it, just hoped there'd be a little more to it. Besides the fact that a book is more fitting for a primitive wilderness survival guide than a DVD, there's not really anything else that makes reading this better than watching his videos.
April 5, 2020
This is a good summary of the projects on John Plant's YouTube channel, but I find the videos convey the methods in a better way than reading, as it is like reading a recipe book. The graphics and images are very nice through.
September 1, 2020
This print companion to an excellent and wildly popular YouTube channel is most valuable as a reference (and a way to support the creator). Plant has spent years filming himself building primitive tools, huts, kilns, and more in Australia, and this book boils down his hard-earned wisdom into short chapters of a few pages each on each new technology. What you can learn in a few pages is inevitably far less than what you can in hours of video, and as a fan of his channel I can't say I learned much new by reading his book. But it's good to have on hand should I need to look anything up rather than skimming through those hours of video. I'd have preferred a more robust book, with more pages and more details (many of the step-by-step guides to making tools needed more illustrations/pictures, or more detail about what exactly was being described), but this still could be useful to anyone with a hankering to make some primitive technology themselves.
September 12, 2020
See my full review here.
I discovered this book through our library's eNewsletter on new nonfiction title. I enjoy learning how things are done with minimal tools so this intrigued me. But it turns out it's a companion book to a YouTube channel by the same name. I felt like I needed to check the youtube show for any level of details, and while there were lots of images, they weren't as helpful as they should have been, in my opinion. I think if you're a fan of the show you'll find it interesting but there are, in my opinion, better choices for learning how to build shelter and survive in the wild. Thanks to the Grand Forks & District Public Library for including this in its nonfiction collection.
I discovered this book through our library's eNewsletter on new nonfiction title. I enjoy learning how things are done with minimal tools so this intrigued me. But it turns out it's a companion book to a YouTube channel by the same name. I felt like I needed to check the youtube show for any level of details, and while there were lots of images, they weren't as helpful as they should have been, in my opinion. I think if you're a fan of the show you'll find it interesting but there are, in my opinion, better choices for learning how to build shelter and survive in the wild. Thanks to the Grand Forks & District Public Library for including this in its nonfiction collection.
August 5, 2022
I read this book because I've really really enjoyed his Youtube channel.
As I expected this book contains the projects also showcased on the youtube channel, however I had hoped it would bring much more behind the scenes details, or something else. The format of the book I do feel, is more like a cookbook full of recipes, only for primitive technology rather than food.
I don't quite enjoy this format, but I'm not sure if it's because I've seen the recipes before on youtube, or if it's just not that great.
With that said, massive shoutout to the youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3...). I think it might be in the top 10 for best channels for me, and I'll watch every video as they come out.
As I expected this book contains the projects also showcased on the youtube channel, however I had hoped it would bring much more behind the scenes details, or something else. The format of the book I do feel, is more like a cookbook full of recipes, only for primitive technology rather than food.
I don't quite enjoy this format, but I'm not sure if it's because I've seen the recipes before on youtube, or if it's just not that great.
With that said, massive shoutout to the youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3...). I think it might be in the top 10 for best channels for me, and I'll watch every video as they come out.
July 14, 2020
I like the channel, but the book is not great. Basically formatted with a PowerPoint presentation, with small amounts of information stretched onto too many slides. Big sections of just blank pages if he doesn’t have a picture to accompany something with. You won’t learn too much from this book. The book does feel great in the hand, and the illustrations are beautiful, but this thing shouldn’t and wouldn’t have existed without the YouTube channel. It’s a well designed piece of merch, like a nice hoodie.
July 29, 2020
It's a usable guide.
The information is good and useful, but the step by step details were not indepth enough, the how was provided but not much of the "why" or "why not" this way to do the step. Doesn't give much into what you want to avoid doing during the creation or steps. Also needs more focused diagrams, some of the steps are ambiguous or are too difficult to describe with just words.
The information is good and useful, but the step by step details were not indepth enough, the how was provided but not much of the "why" or "why not" this way to do the step. Doesn't give much into what you want to avoid doing during the creation or steps. Also needs more focused diagrams, some of the steps are ambiguous or are too difficult to describe with just words.
September 6, 2023
Decent how-to, but I was hoping for narrative
This is a good supplement to the author's YouTube channel. But I really wanted more explanation and narrative and context. What went wrong? What worked? What was the process leading to the elements presented? Where and when were specific things used or invented? Where did the author learn about these things. Adding some biographical and narrative detail could have made this a spectacular book.
This is a good supplement to the author's YouTube channel. But I really wanted more explanation and narrative and context. What went wrong? What worked? What was the process leading to the elements presented? Where and when were specific things used or invented? Where did the author learn about these things. Adding some biographical and narrative detail could have made this a spectacular book.
July 25, 2025
I wish there were more tools and things like that and fewer shelters. For example, there is one tool in regards to farming (for jams), one for fishing (a trap) but several kind of shelters with different materials.
January 24, 2020
I think this is really cool and I was hoping it would help me make better fires, it did not. I would have liked more images because I'm a visual learner and I felt lost at times.
August 1, 2020
Lots of info. Will give you a decent working knowledge of primitive life and living
January 18, 2021
I’m going to sell my house and reject modernity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2021
How i read this book?
November 14, 2021
I love Plant's youtube channel, and wanted to love the book as well. It's fine, but the directions on how to do each skill need to be expanded.
June 6, 2022
It is what it is. A book you can take with you camping and it'll teach you all kinds of cool stuff you can build out there.
September 2, 2022
very interesting knowledge inspired from the techniques of our primitive ancestors. wonderful YouTube channel, wonderful instructional manual!
November 3, 2022
The perfect companion to the YouTube videos if you've ever wanted written instructions and illustrations.
December 16, 2023
Kdyby nastala zombie apokalypsa nebo jakákoliv jiná apokalypsa, tak tuhle knížku bych chtěl mít u sebe, protože jsou v ní poměrně funkční rady a postupy pro přežití.
January 10, 2024
I'm a mud man, mud is me
January 2, 2025
This was a pretty interesting book. I really love the author's YouTube channel! The book was good, but the layout of the information in it was a bit odd.
March 10, 2020
Primitive Technology, A Survivalist’s Guide to Building Tools, Shelters & More In the Wild, by John Plant (pp 191). Published 2019. The author is an Australian who has grown to love making things from natural materials without modern tools. In fact, throughout the book are lessons about making basic tools like cutting stones, axes, cordage, and other elemental or prerequisite steps of making baskets, shelters, pottery, ovens, and more. Performing the tasks in the book is understandably beyond written instructions, despite the numerous photographs and step by step instructions he included. Unfortunately, there were not enough photographs, and as often as not the instructions were insufficient. Apparently the author also has YouTube videos about these same techniques, and I’m guessing for many of the projects it takes a combination of the written word and visible aids to figure them out. And that makes sense because much of what he describes is far from easy, even to him, which he readily admits. Regardless, this is a great book to see what is possible, and provides sufficient detail to attempt some, if not all, of the projects. A nice aspect of the book is the author’s recognition of the impact of using natural materials, and he warns against unnecessary cutting of wood or other materials: he strongly believes in sustainable use of natural resources. Now I’ll need to check out his videos.
November 22, 2019
Love this Book, Love John's YouTube Channel. The photo's, drawing's and narrative all go along with the video he's already put out. A great companion piece. I had hoped for a little more on some of my favorite episodes, but you can't always get what you want. The book itself is high quality paper and library style hard back binding; for the person who loves old technology or bush craft, this book is a treasure worth keeping.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews