Should we be getting nervous about the sudden rash of survival books landing on the shelves at the moment? We’re trying to stay calm, with a cup of tea and all that, but it’s getting hard, Marge. The latest tome comes from Dr Lewis Dartnell, entitled The Knowledge.

Dr Dartnell, who seems like a terrifically nice chap, is actually an astrobiologist research scientist at the University of Leicester in the UK, and his book deals with the very bare minimum we’ll need if we’re to ‘reboot‘ civilization as he so quaintly puts it, in the event of a global catastrophe.

The book deals with everything from how to grow food (pretty essential we’re thinking) to generating power or mining essential metals for base tools. It’s kind of like a survivalist handbook, but without all the AK47s and anger. Excuse us for a moment, we’re just going to start on some mitten knitting.

[Note: here’s his recent Reddit AMA]