The Beginnings Of A Survivalist's Bookshelf, Circa 1980s

I think this was a rite of passage for teen survivalist types in the 1980s. We all did the same thing. You start with a .50 caliber ammo can:

You were able to pick these up at cheap at any Army/Navy store until the early 1990s when the supply dried up for a bit. The availability is back for now, but prices have gone up since then, and you can buy knock-offs from Harbor Freight and Wal-Mart. Get a real military surplus one. They’ll have writing on the side telling you what was originally in the can. A .50 caliber can is about $20 these days. These cans are rugged, waterproof, and lockable. The one in the picture is from 1981, and I’ve had it since the mid 1980s.

Once you bought an ammo can, you had to put together the library. You used an ammo can because it was cool, it offered a level of privacy you didn’t get putting your questionable (to parents) books on a shelf, and offered protection of your library against the elements in case you had to, for reasons, cache your library someplace outside. Here’s what went in the ammo can, for future preparedness: