Description
The Countess Mountbatten's Own Legion of Frontiersmen was conceived and organized in 1905 as a body of frontier sentinels, and they first published The Frontiersman's Pocket-Book in 1909 as their training and survival manual. Long out-of-print, copies command steep prices in the antiquarian book market. This facsimile edition of the Pocket-Book features documents, photographs, and maps drawn from the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections Library's Sir Samuel Steele Collection, and also includes the papers of Roger Pocock (1865-1941), founder of the Frontiersmen as well as the compiler and editor of the Pocket-Book. More than a mere historic curiosity, The Frontiersman's Pocket-Book remains a useful, if dated, guide to living and working in the bush, or even for conducting guerrilla warfare.
Reviews
"In 1909 an amazing handbook was produced, The Frontiersman's Pocket Book. Reprinted in 1911 and 1914 it was an immediate success, not only with Frontiersmen. Contributors were Frontiersmen, many famous at that time, who had travelled the world in many trades. In recent years, second-hand copies have been so sought after that they have fetched many hundreds of pounds on the second-hand market. Fortunately, the University of Alberta, which holds many original Frontiersmen archives, have re-printed this and it can be easily bought at a reasonable price. Although dated in many respects, it is still the one book that should be with anyone surviving outdoors without proper supplies and support. Every page is full of a mass of useful information."
- Geoffrey Pocock
"Subjects covered include the Legion itself, navigation, weather, hunting and trapping, weapons, kit, clothing, knotting and splicing, making biltong and pemmican, the tropics, the Yukon, merchant navy career, ‘women on the frontier’, pack transport, boats, reconnaissance, tracking, shooting, signalling, bridge demolition, railway sabotage, warship recognition, motorboats and motorcars in war. baptism, marriage, hygiene, medical treatment 'when no doctor can be obtained' (not for the squeamish), and burial.... The Frontiersman’s Pocket-Book is a fascinating compendium..."
- Roger T. Stearn
"One of the great successes of the Legion was the publication in 1909 of The Frontiersman’s Pocket Book. This was intended to be, and was, the ultimate survival book for anyone living or working in the wilder places of the world. There were many contributors from men, and the occasional woman, who were well-known in their day, although many have now faded into obscurity. In addition, it contained advice on such things as how to capture and detain a fugitive as well as clear instructions on demolitions – blowing up bridges, trains etc., so it was also an ideal handbook for guerrillas or irregular troops. There were several pages of well-drawn recognition silhouettes of warships, including both British and French as well as German ships. Each and every page of the book is crammed with extraordinary and surprising advice."
- Geoffrey Pocock