Book excerpt: This book is formatted to replicate, as much as possible, how the author would teach these topics in person, one on one, or in a classroom environment. The information is purposely designed to be quick to find, simple to understand, and easy to teach. Each chapter is designed to help the user better understand necessary land navigation skills and assist the practitioner, if needed, explain the skills to others. The book is broken down into ten chapters covering basic fundamentals such as how to use the compass and finding information on the map up to advanced techniques, with short quizzes at the end of each chapter as a check on learning. The final chapter covers some 'useful tips'. The book is purposely condensed so the reader can painlessly work his way through the entire book without the feeling that his brain is about to explode from too much information. It is the author's heartfelt desire that the information contained within this book will serve the reader well, and especially during those unfortunate times when technology fails, and like it or not, the user is forced to rely on the basics. Technology is best when it serves the user rather than the user being wholly dependent upon technology.