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The Experiment

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals―and Other Forgotten Skills (Natural Navigation)

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Experiment; Reprint edition (July 31, 2015)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1615192417


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 10


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Star-Gazing (Books) #1 in Travelogues & Travel Essays #4 in Outdoors & Nature Reference


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Great if you want to read about the author's background on this subject, not good if you were expecting something else
It wasn't what I expected, I thought the book was going to be more in easy to read tips and other information on Reading Nature's signs. I wasn't expecting to read about the author's life experiences. I found it to be boring.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2018 by Music & Book Fan
    • Dupicate
Review Image by Ben Toyoshima Ben Toyoshima
These two books are EXACTLY the same
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020 by Ben Toyoshima Ben Toyoshima
    • No thank you
Not a very good book.. Some guys comments as he meandered about.. Information he shares appears to be based heavily on the the Bibliography list which is very long..... I have 31 years of Backpacking and over 30,000 miles of trail traveling... I would not recommend this book..
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019 by eddie s.
    • A Fun Read, But A Bit Much
Depending on your own personality, Tristan Gooley is either the world’s most interesting hiking partner…or…you will want to kill him within five minutes of getting out of the car. The man knows a lot about most aspects of nature, is quite observant, and loves to share his knowledge. If you feel that is enjoyable, you will like this book. === The Good Stuff === * Gooley has hiked in many locations throughout the world, including many in the US, Britain, Asia and Africa. He makes detailed observations, and shares both his insights and his methods for making those determinations. His wisdom includes traditional book knowledge, lessons and lore passed on from the natives, and common sense deduction. It is a remarkable tour de force of botany, biology, geology and astronomy. * While the author spends a lot of time on specific observations, the real lesson of the book is how to develop an attitude of curiosity. While many of us might see “just a tree”, Gooley sees a navigational aid, a history of the area, and clues about the local topography, climate and civilization. While these insights can span the range from useful through trivial and even go all the way to arcane, they do serve as a motivation to make your own observations and deductions. It is sort of a cross between John Muir and Sherlock Holmes. * There are a few useful gems for just about anyone. Even city dwellers will find some enjoyment in Gooley’s astronomy observations, and while much of his hiking experience is in Britain, he also discusses the flora and fauna of many parts of the United States. * Some of the best parts of the book were the time spent with “exotic” cultures. For example, from spending time on Borneo, we find the natives use some very remarkable means of navigation, and prefer to think of “upstream and downstream” rather than the Western concepts of “east and west”. === The Not-So-Good Stuff === * I was expecting more of a practical “how-to”, but the book is more of a motivational lecture on letting your own knowledge and observations run wild. For example, there are a number of tips for determining direction. There is the familiar “moss on the north side of trees”, rule, but there are seemingly hundreds of other techniques of direction finding. More than you could possibly remember, and indeed, more than I was interested in. * Gooley has a habit of referring to plants by their common name. This can be a little problematic, since the US and Britain can not even agree on what “corn” means. I would have preferred plants be referenced also by their Latin names to avoid any confusion. * Many of the observations become almost overwhelming and frustrating. The author has spent time with some very interesting cultures, and I would have liked to see more information on some of their novel technologies (such as the upstream/downstream navigation previously mentioned) rather than more mundane trivia. === Summary === If you are expecting a “Fieldbook”, I think you will be somewhat disappointed in this work. While there are numerous “tricks” for getting information about your environment, they are not organized in any way to reference them other than your memory. Rather, the book is more of a motivational guide to learning to trust your instincts and observations about your environment. I found the book enjoyable, but would have liked to see it edited a bit tighter. === Disclaimer === I was able to read an advance copy through the courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2015 by Andy in Washington
    • Favorite nature book
Completely blown away buy this book. First, the cover is beautiful! Qhen it came in i was a tiny bit disappointed because it was not as beautiful inside as it was on the cover and it was much thicker than i had expected. I had intended to have my children read it during family reading hr but after seeing the thickness i felt like it may discourage young readers. So my husband began reading it and after reading only a chapter he made us all sit down to listen. Its well written and the words and good info makes up for the lack of color on the pages. The kids have each picked it up at different points and flipped through to a chapter about something they are wondering about. My son read about trees one day and my daughter read about lighting strikes on a day we where seeing lots of lighting. They use it kinda like a reference when they come across something in nature they dont know or understand. My husband and i are both reading it in order and have read out loud to the kids when we come to a section we find really interesting. This book makes you want to go outside and look for the signs you learn. I can no longer drive down the road without looking for the "wedge effect" on a tree line not to mention various other things that make even a short outing seem like a bit of a scavenger hunt. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves learning. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2018 by Sara Johnson
    • Bad copy
Review Image by M Langley M Langley
Review Image by M Langley M Langley
I love the content of this book, however, my copy fell apart by the end of the first chapter. Super bummed.
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2019 by M Langley M Langley
    • Maybe the Greatest Book on the Outdoors You'll Ever Read
I originally got this book out of the library, but it was so good and was packed with so much information that I bought a copy. In it he describes all kinds of fascinating clues you can observe in the world around you (both in nature and in towns) that lead to interesting deductions. He describes how to find North based on all kinds of different plants, how to understand animal and human footprints, how to read the stars, how to easily calculate the phase of the moon at any future or past date, how to understand development patterns in a city, and on and on. Tristan clearly has gotten plenty of 'dirt time' to refine his observations - this isn't an armchair guy who has just brought together a lot of ideas originally developed by other people. This book has transformed the way I view the world while out in nature. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017 by FredFamily
    • I bought this book because I have a horrible sense of direction
I bought this book because I have a horrible sense of direction. What turned out to be fun was using some of the new learned skills with my grand daughter. We used a cell phone app to check our assumptions about directors and took photos of interesting finds on walks.
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2017 by Dianne Martin

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