About Doomsday Defense

A free reference library for surviving emergencies, from a week-long blackout to a long collapse, and for rebuilding afterwards.

Two kinds of knowledge

Field notes are short, practical entries: one skill or fact each, readable in a few minutes, filed under a topic and listing the sources they rest on. Life-safety basics are marked Critical.

The library holds the complete text of public-domain manuals and books: U.S. military manuals, U.S. Department of Agriculture guides, and classic works on woodcraft, trapping, shelter building, smithing and more. Each is split into chapters, so every page is searchable and links straight to the passage you need.

How field notes are written

• Safety-critical instructions (first aid, water treatment, food preservation, firearms) follow current guidance from public health agencies, the military, and recognized first-aid bodies, and every note lists its sources.
• Where old practice and current practice differ (tourniquets, snakebite, home canning times), we say so plainly.
• Notes are reviewed and updated; the date on each note is when it was last changed.

Where the books come from

Every book in the library is in the public domain in the United States, either as a work of the U.S. federal government or because it was published before 1930. Most texts come from the volunteer transcriptions of Project Gutenberg; each book page credits its source. We reformat the text into chapters and convert illustrations for the web, but we do not change the author's words.

Old books are products of their time. Their medicine, hunting law and chemistry safety can be badly out of date, so each book carries a note on what to watch for, and historical texts show a warning on every chapter.

What it is not

This is general information for education and preparedness. It is not medical, legal or professional advice, and reading is no substitute for hands-on training. Please read the disclaimer.