The difference here is that the authors have addressed the kind of glitches, pitfalls, disasters and conundra one might encounter when sojourning in distant or hostile lands. Hence there are sections offering advice on: How to Control a Runaway Camel; How to Survive in Frigid Water; How to Pass a Bribe; How to Deal with a Tarantula; and so on. Some of the problems and chapters might seem a little far-fetched and remote (How to Cross a Piranha-infested River); others all-too local and everyday to be confined to a travel book (How to Survive a Mugging). Each and every chapter is clearly written, accompanied by simple but effective illustrations, and derived from the accumulated wisdom of top survival experts in various armies, navies, academies and universities. There's also a very handy appendix dealing with general travel tips, such as which thumb-gestures to avoid when you don't want to insult the natives, and how to say, "Hello, I have been seriously wounded" in Japanese. This is a must-pack for all modern adventurers. --Sean Thomas

Review
PEOPLE
Quick: You're on an elevator when the cable snaps, plunging you into free fall. What do you do? Jump in the air at the moment of impact, right? Sure, except that the elevator "will likely collapse...and crush you," note the authors of the bestseller The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. The right answer: Lie flat on the floor to distribute the impact. In deadpan tone, Piven and Borgenicht advise how to survive a plane crash, remove a leech (burning it off will make it regurgitate, causing infection who knew?) and escape from the trunk of a car. The scenarios owe a debt to action flick clich's how often do you find yourself leaping from rooftop to rooftop? but their utter implausibility doesn't make this read any less riveting.

Synopsis
Danger lurks at every corner. Volcanoes. Sharks. Quicksand. Terrorists. The pilot of the plane blacks out and it's up to you to land the jet. What do you do? The "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" is here to help: jam-packed with how-to, hands-on, step-by-step, illustrated instructions on everything you need to know, from defusing a bomb to delivering a baby in the back of a cab. Providing frightening and funny real information this indestructible pocket-sized guide is the definitive handbook for those times when life takes a sudden turn for the worse. The essential companion for a perilous age. Because you never know...

From the Back Cover
Always be ready for the worst - you're at risk from the moment you step outside your front door! Here are illustrated, step-by-step instructions on what you need to know NOW:
How to Cross a Piranha-Infested River
How to Survive a Sandstorm
How to Stop a Runaway Train
How to Survive an Airplane Crash
How to Build a Shelter in the Snow
How to Escape from the Trunk of a Car
How to Treat a Scorpion Sting
How to Survive a Volcanic Eruption
How to Pass a Bribe

...plus an appendix of essential travel strategies, phrases, and gestures to use - and avoid.

About the Author
David Borgenicht, co-author of The Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook, says his love of "worst-case scenarios" came from a trip to Pakistan during which he rode around in a heavy-armored vehicle. He lives in the relative safety of Philadelphia. Joshua Piven is co-author of The Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook. He has written dozens of articles for magazines and newspapers, including Computer Shopper, Working at Home, and Business Philadelphia. He's ready for anything.