Camping and Woodcraft ─ A Handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilderness

Originally published in 1906 as one volume, Camping and Woodcraft was expanded into a two-volume edition in 1916-17. Camping and Woodcraft ranks sixth among the ten best-selling sporting books of all time. A standard manual for campers and a veritable outdoor enthusiast’s bible for over four decades, this book reflects Horace Kephart’s practical knowledge and covers, in depth, any problem that campers might confront.
Kephart lived in the Great Smoky Mountains and spent most of his time in the wild. Consequently, he became an expert on all aspects of camp life from living in a semi-permanent lean-to to traveling with only the bare essentials in a backpack. More than simply a hunting or fishing guide, Kephart’s book covers a wide variety of subjects from how to dress game and fish to how to shoot accurately. Every chapter is filled with tips that remain useful even after fifty years of improvements in equipment and technology.

Jim Casada, who has provided an informative introduction to this edition, is professor of history at Winthrop College. He has written numerous articles on sporting figures and outdoor literature and is editor-at-large for Sporting Classics and contributing editor for Fly Fishing Heritage.

Jim Casada, who has provided an informative introduction to this edition, is professor of history at Winthrop College. He has written numerous articles on sporting figures and outdoor literature and is editor-at-large for Sporting Classics and contributing editor for Fly Fishing Heritage.


Before coming the mountains, Horace Kephart (1862-1931) served as librarian of the prestigious Mercantile Library in St. Loius. His significant work, however, was done after he came to live in the Southern Appalachians in 1904. He played important roles in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.