# Most important post-apocalyptic book? \[spoiler for "Book of Eli"\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076 "2011-01-10T11:07:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/1 "2011-01-10T11:07:59Z")
So I caught _The Book of Eli_ on cable the other day, and though I already knew the story in general terms, seeing it directly raised a question for me. \*\*\* spoiler space for the film, which is not otherwise relevant to this thread \*\*\* - - - - - - - - The book/MacGuffin Eli’s been carrying around for decades in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and which the Gary Oldman bad-guy character is desperate to get as he describes how important it is, turns out to be a King James Bible. This kinda strikes me as a fairly _useless_ text in this setting. It might give solace to survivors who vaguely remember the before-time, but it’s not a useful guide to restarting agriculture or manufacturing or even tribal-level politics, let alone the teaching of basic survival skills. Are there single-volume texts that would be far better to hang onto? I recall flipping through an [SAS survival guide](http://www.amazon.ca/SAS-Survival-Handbook-Survive-Climate/dp/0002171856) (I forget which one) and it was chock-full of useful information to increase the odds of survival. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/2 "2011-01-10T12:28:05Z")
Resolved: Leaper should ask the mods to move this thread to Cafe Society, as was obviously intended. Wait, that’s not a debate either. 😃 ETA: Actually, reading the post again, it’s not quite as clear cut as I thought it was at first glance. I could actually see it going here, CS, _or_ IMHO. Hmmm. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/3 "2011-01-10T13:00:45Z")
Awful, stupid movie. Ahem. Most important book in postapocalyptia? Probably an inductory text on the production of antibiotics/medicines, maybe an engineering text, possibly an in-depth agricultural manual. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/4 "2011-01-10T13:22:58Z")
_The Wasteland Survivor’s Guide_😃 I for one, rather enjoyed the movie. Thus far, it’s about as close to a movie of Fallout as I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/5 "2011-01-10T13:27:47Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Resolved: Leaper should ask the mods to move this thread to Cafe Society, as was obviously intended. Well, the mods could decide so, but despite using a movie as a springboard, the topic I was trying to establish has no specific entertainment value (unless, I guess, someone wants to argue that what a post-apocalyptic world needs most is laughter, hence the most important book is a _Calvin and Hobbes_ compilation). IMHO might work better. It doesn’t much matter. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/6 "2011-01-10T13:29:02Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The book/MacGuffin Eli’s been carrying around for decades in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and which the Gary Oldman bad-guy character is desperate to get as he describes how important it is, turns out to be a King James Bible. This kinda strikes me as a fairly _useless_ text in this setting. If nothing else, it’s useful as a historical text with very strong mythological uses. (Remember, it’s put on a shelf next to the Torah, Koran, etc…) The movie itself was surprisingly good, but the stupid ending spoiled everything because: (1) The subtle-yet-obvious “Christ is Lord” assumption (grrr…) (2) How the fuck can anyone destroy every single copy of the 2nd most popular book ever printed? (I’m assuming _The Lord of the Rings_ survived the apocalypse…) (3) Eli’s easily-carried copy of KJV is in braille – [which is impossible](http://www.lbwinc.org/braille/index.php). (4) Eli recites the entire Bible from memory, which would’ve taken weeks, if not months. Maybe that’s possible, but I’ll bet he skimmed the _“so-and-so begat so-and-so”_ parts. (5) Eli’s fucking blind as a bat. Well, maybe his other five senses are attuned enough to grant him the martial arts skill of a Matrix Agent 🆒 but seriously, I think the Hughes brothers could have done a much better job with the denouement. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/7 "2011-01-10T14:35:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > This kinda strikes me as a fairly _useless_ text in this setting. While I agree that the bible would be fairly useless in a survival situation, I think you are missing the point as to why the Gary Oldman character wanted to get his hands on that book so badly. A person in possession of the words of the bible has the power to inspire fanatical followers. Cite? History is my cite. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/8 "2011-01-10T15:13:09Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > While I agree that the bible would be fairly useless in a survival situation, I think you are missing the point as to why the Gary Oldman character wanted to get his hands on that book so badly. A person in possession of the words of the bible has the power to inspire fanatical followers. Cite? History is my cite. I guess… until they all die of cholera. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/9 "2011-01-10T15:20:54Z")
> **[Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook: David Werner, Carol...](https://www.amazon.com/Where-There-No-Doctor-Handbook/dp/0942364155)** > > Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook \[David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook I’d go for the Where There Is No Doctor handbook first. As long as you have your health, everything else can be rebuilt. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/10 "2011-01-10T15:39:39Z")
The Boy Scout Handbook would probably be pretty handy. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/11 "2011-01-10T16:40:31Z")
One of my favorite parts of _Lucifer’s Hammer_ is where the JPL genius Dan Forrester is caching his “books to rebuild civilization” before his trek out of the Los Angeles area. In the Fawcett paperback, the scene is on pages 281-284. The book that Forrester carries on him as a proof for the cache is “_The Way Things Work, Volume 2_.” I’d agree with his choice. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/12 "2011-01-10T16:42:45Z")
[The Foxfire books.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxfire_books#Books) You could reconstruct a frontier lifestyle using those. How to build a log cabin. How to dress and preserve meat. How to make soap. How to weave baskets. Beekeeping. Butter churning. Hide tanning. Spinning. Lots of useful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/13 "2011-01-10T16:43:28Z")
I have not seen the movie, but in setting up a new society, the Old Testament has a pretty good grasp of basic laws. Don’t steal other people’s stuff, or their wife. Don’t lie. Don’t murder other people. If your dog/bull/other vicious animal hurts someone, you owe them. Help other people. Do good whenever you can. Take care of the poor and the children. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/14 "2011-01-10T19:43:31Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > I have not seen the movie, but in setting up a new society, the Old Testament has a pretty good grasp of basic laws. Don’t steal other people’s stuff, or their wife. Don’t lie. Don’t murder other people. If your dog/bull/other vicious animal hurts someone, you owe them. Help other people. Do good whenever you can. Take care of the poor and the children. Kill the unbelievers. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/15 "2011-01-10T20:35:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Kill the unbelievers. Stone an old woman for wearing two different types of cloth… To actually contribute, I agree that some sort of armed forces survival guide would be good…though those are often geared more for “short term” survival, like a temp shelter and foraging for food. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/16 "2011-01-10T20:35:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Kill the unbelievers. Fewer people to oppose you, eat your crops, etc. I second the nomination of the _Foxfire_ books. Good stuff in there. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/17 "2011-01-10T20:56:19Z")
US Army Field Manuals FM 3-34.331 through FM 3-34.480. 3-34.400 being the most important (General Engineering). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/18 "2011-01-10T22:22:57Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > (2) How the fuck can anyone destroy every single copy of the 2nd most popular book ever printed? (I’m assuming _The Lord of the Rings_ survived the apocalypse…). Well..nuclear weapons? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/19 "2011-01-10T23:02:49Z")
I would assume a book on medicine, agriculture and survival skills. I’m sure someone wrote a book for collapsed civilizations which has good info on basic medicine, how to grow crops properly, etc. But I don’t know the title. I never understood why Oldman though the bible would give him special powers in that movie. He could’ve just invented his own religion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076/20 "2011-01-10T23:11:25Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I never understood why Oldman though the bible would give him special powers in that movie. He could’ve just invented his own religion. I haven’t seen the movie but I’m assuming some memories of the bible remain. People would remember stories and passages. If Oldman were able to produce the only complete copy of a book that was already regarded as holy, he’d have a powerful tool for asserting his authority as a religious leader. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-post-apocalyptic-book-spoiler-for-book-of-eli/567076.md?page=2)