Be Expert with Map and Compass

Rating:
Summary: How To Find Your Way, On Your Own Terms
Review: I read this book preparatory to joining a local orienteering club, to refresh skills gleaned from the Army long ago. It is an excellent small text, simply presented, with a fine sample map for use with some examples and problems. While there are descriptions of orienteering competition, one good thing about this activity is that you can pursue it on your own terms (so long as you don't interfere with others) and be as competitive or un-competitive as you wish.

Rating:
Summary: not bad, not good
Review: I wanted to get into the world of orienteering, so I decided that I'd go straight to the top. This book IS full of useful information, but I find that I was able to skip around without losing any of the book's substance.
Like I wrote: not bad, not good.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is THE book on the subject, there are none better. If you know nothing about using a map and compass, by the time you are done reading this book and working through the exercises with the accompanying map, you will be able to navigate in the woods. A must for anyone interested in the subject.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is THE book on the subject, there are none better. If you know nothing about using a map and compass, by the time you are done reading this book and working through the exercises with the accompanying map, you will be able to navigate in the woods. A must for anyone interested in the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Vastly Overrated and Outdated
Review: This was the first book I ever bought on the subject of using a map and compass. It was recommended by everyone I knew, as there wasn't a whole lot else out there at the time, and it had been in print since 1955. About the best I can say for Kjellstrom's book is that it is better for beginners than the Sierra Club Handbook (also an old book), but that's about it. Illustrations are few and muddy, and the book has an ancient feel to it, with outdated references and quirky language (it's been in print for nearly 50 years, and the author died nearly 10 years ago when in his nineties). Fully half the book doesn't even deal with real-life wilderness navigation, but is instead devoted to the sport of orienteering (a fine sport, but with little relevance to practical backcountry navigation with its use of special large scale maps and specialized compasses used only to orient the map to north).

To conclude, the book is simply outdated and outmuscled by modern competitors. Once you've read newer books like The Essential Wilderness Navigator, or The Compass & Map Navigator, chances are you'll not pick up this book again.