Bradford Angier (May 13, 1910 – March 3, 1997) was an American wilderness survivalist and proponent of back-to-earth living. He authored more than 35 books on how to survive in the wild and how to live minimalisticly off the land. In 1947 Angier and his new wife, Vena (Elvena, 1914–2011), were living in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. They had long romanticized the life of Henry David Thoreau and decided to move to

Hudson's Hope Hudson's Hope is a district municipality in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, in the Peace River Regional District. Having been first settled along the Peace River in 1805, it is the third-oldest European-Canadian community in the province, a ...

, a small town in northeastern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, to live off the land. Once there, they found an old prospector's cabin. With the few tools and how-to books they brought with them, they were able to repair the cabin. Bradford Angier then set about learning to hunt and gather wild food. He eventually started writing survival books. Vena Angier was artistic and hand-illustrated several of his books. The couple lived in Canada until the building of the

W.A.C. Bennett Dam The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada. At high, it is one of the world's highest earth fill dams. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and culminated in 1968. At the dam ...

on the Peace River near their home forced them to move. They moved to

Cambria, California Cambria () is a seaside village in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along California State Route 1 (Highway 1). The name Cambria, chosen in 1869, is the Latin name for Wales. Cambr ...

, and built a house that was less than . For decades Bradford Angier and

Calvin Rutstrum Calvin Rutstrum (October 26, 1895 – February 5, 1982) was an American writer who wrote fifteen books, most relating to wilderness camping experiences and techniques. Most of his books were written at his cabin on Cloud Bay, Ontario. "His wilde ...

were the two most prominent "how to" authors on living in the wilderness. In the 1970s the Angiers returned to

. In 1972 Bradford wrote the book ''One Acre & Security'' in which he discussed how to live organically on only of land. At this time he had become popular with the back-to-earth movement and was sought out by many people wishing to emulate his lifestyle. He was sometimes referred to as "Mr. Outdoors"One Acre and Security: How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining It By Bradford Angier Published 2000 Willow Creek Press Bradford Angier died in 1997, a few months short of his 50th wedding anniversary.

Bibliography

* ''At Home in the Woods: Living the Life of Thoreau Today'' (1951) * ''How To Build Your Home in The Woods'' (1952) * ''Living Off the Country: How to Stay Alive in the Woods'' (1956) * ''On Your Own in the Wilderness'' (1958) * ''Wilderness Cookery'' (1961) * ''We Like It Wild'' (1963) * ''Home in Your Pack: The Modern Handbook of Backpacking'' (1965) * ''Free for the Eating'' (1966) * ''Free for the Eating (100 Wild Plants, 300 Ways to Use Them)'' (1967) * ''Home in Your Pack: The Modern Handbook of Backpacking'' (1967) * ''Skills for Taming the Wilds: A Handbook of Woodcraft Wisdom'' (1967) * ''The Ghosts of Spirit River'' (1968) * ''The Outdoorsman's Emergency Manual: Being Your Own Wilderness Doctor'' (1968) * ''Being Your Own Wilderness Doctor: The outdoorsman's emergency manual'' (1984) * ''How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation That Makes Starvation in the Wilderness Next to the Impossible: Originally Published As Living Off the Country'' (1969) * ''More Free-for-the-Eating Wild Foods'' (1969) * ''A Star to the North'' (1970) * ''The Art and Science of Taking to the Woods'' (1970) * ''Gourmet Cooking For Free'' (1970) * ''Wilderness Cookery: Complete Outdoor Meals'' (1970) * ''How to Live in the Woods on Pennies a Day'' (1971) * ''One Acre and Security How to Live Off the Earth Without Ruining it'' (1972) * ''Skills for Taming the Wilds: A Handbook of Woodcraft Wisdom'' (1972) * ''Survival with Style'' (1972) * ''Wilderness Gear You Can Make Yourself'' (1973) * ''Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants'' (1974) * ''The Freighter Travel Manual'' (1974) * ''Home Book of Cooking Venison and Other Natural Meats'' (1975) * ''Looking for Gold: The Modern Prospector's Handbook (Prospecting and Treasure Hunting)'' (1975) * ''Color Field Guide to Common Wild Edibles'' (1976) * ''Wilderness Wife'' (1976) * ''Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants'' (1978) * ''The Master Backwoodsman: Wilderness Skills and Campcraft for Ventures off the Beaten Path'' (1978) * ''Home Cookbook of Wild Meat and Game'' (1982) * ''Bradford Angier's Backcountry Basics: Wilderness Skills and Outdoor Know-How'' (1983) * ''Camping-on-the-go Cookery'' (1983) * ''The Competence Factor: Skills That Make the Difference in Outdoor Sports'' (1983) * ''At Home in the Desert: Surviving and Thriving for a Day, a Week, or a Lifetime'' (1984)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angier, Bradford 1910 births 1997 deaths Survivalists Writers from Boston People from the Peace River Regional District American expatriates in Canada