THE L. L. BEAN GUIDE TO THE OUTDOORS

For the camper's basic bookshelf--L. L. Bean expertise amplified by an experienced outdoor-writer. First and last: how to forecast the weather and how to find your way with map and compass. In between: a user's guide to clothing, shelter, sleeping bags, packing gear, cooking equipment, knives and other woods tools. Plus: particulars on skis and snowshoes, and today's confusing variety of canoes. The chapter on boots and shoes, a Bean specialty, is encyclopedic--the anatomy of the foot, the structure of a last, the criteria for selecting the right boot, the various types available. The section on cooking equipment (and how to use it) leads off with advice on planning meals. The discussion of snowshoes--typically for the book, but not for this topic--specifies just who can use which type to best advantage. Snowshoes or Skis? ""The choice . . . is often a philosophical one."" Informative and reliable, of course--but also energizing.