Primitive Fire: An ethnological study of firemaking methods and equipment used prior to the advent of the match and the artificial striker

As far as historical reports of various methods of primitive fire-making go, none equal Dr Walter Hough's "Primitive Fire". Within its pages you will find forgotten wisdom on how to make: fire by friction with the hand drill, bow drill, fire saw and fire plow; fire by percussion using flint and pyrites, flint and steel as well as the enigmatic Southeast Asian porcelain and bamboo technique; fire by compression of air using the Malay fire piston. In addition there's a section on traditional selection of tinders for primitive fire-making. While it covers traditional fire-making from all over the world, "Primitive Fire" spends a good deal of time examining the Native American and Eskimo traditions in thorough detail. Penned at a time when these methods were still in day-to-day use by indigenous people around the world, "Primitive Fire" describes the equipment and techniques used through direct observation. Packed with scientific drawings as well as rare period photos, "Primitive Fire" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in self-reliance, bushcraft, survival or the broader field of anthropology.