The Air Ministry Survival Guide; Michael Joseph, 2018

The Perfect Stocking Filler for anyone who thinks they'd survive the world's most hostile environments - or at least imagine they could do.

First issued to British airmen in the 1950s the beautifully illustrated Air Ministry Survival Guide provides invaluable practical tips and instruction on how to keep calm and carry on in any hostile environment.

Whether you're lost in the desert, arctic, jungle, or adrift on the open ocean, you'll be better off armed with sensible advice on how to:

- Build a structurally sound igloo

- Pull faces to prevent frostbite (and when to expect bits to fall off should you fail)

- Fashion a mask to prevent snowblindness

- Make a hat out of seat cushions

- Behave in the event of meeting hostile locals

- Stay safe from poisonous reptiles and insects

- Use a 'fire thong'

- Punch man-eating sharks (which are cowards)