ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am greatly and deeply indebted to those who have helped me make this
book happen.
Mike Vlessides is the ghostwriter, or perhaps more appropriately the
editor, of this book. He spent hundreds of hours talking longdistance on
the phone with me, pulling from my memory everything he could, to put
down on these pages. Without Mike, and his tremendous patience, creative
skill, and diligence, this book would never have been possible.
Laura Bombier is the photographer for this book. She is also the stills
photographer for the TV series Survivorman and as such has traveled the
globe with me, trying to capture the essence of what I do. And capture it
she has! Her creative skill is second to none, and her partnership with me
on this book has brought it to heights I could never have achieved with
out her.
Beverley Hawksley is the illustrator for Survive! I did not want the
same old line drawings; I wanted the technical aspects to be combined
with artistic beauty. Beverley captured that vision fantastically. Beverley’s
work is inspired, beautiful, and powerful. She is an artist in the purest sense
of the title.
I enlisted the help of a group of survivalinstructor friends to read
every word and throw their comments back to me, challenging anything
Acknowledgments (^) | 359