Guns, Knives, Bare Hands: Books about Close Combat

This post is inspired by a post by a comment by Colonel Kurtz on a past Sunday Morning Book Thread that I thought deserved to be blogged about. Whether it's for a mental exercise about a future zombie apocalypse or a possible terrorist attack, here are some books that will teach a lot about fighting to stay alive.

Guns, Knives, Bare Hands: Books about Close Combat

Kill Or Get Killed
by Rex Applegate

From the blurb: "This is the best and longest-selling book on close combat in history. Reprinted and in current use by the U.S. Marine Corps as an official training manual, it details methods of self-defense, offensive close combat, combat shooting and crowd-control techniques in riot situations.
Col. Kurtz: "Rex Applegate spent much of WWII teaching nice older folk to kill people with their bare hands for the Office of Strategic Services.... a good introductory text."
Sounds like a must-read to me!

Boston's Gun Bible
by Boston T. Party

From the blurb: "This is the best and longest-selling book on close combat in history. Reprinted and in current use by the U.S. Marine Corps as an official training manual, it details methods of self-defense, offensive close combat, combat shooting and crowd-control techniques in riot situations.
Col. Kurtz: "For those of your who know jack and -- about firearms, (this) is one of the best single-volume firearms reference texts ever written."
It looks like there are various editions/revisions of this around, and there is a Kindle version which is available for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Colonel Kurtz also recommends, for experienced shooters, Green Eyes & Black Rifles: Warriors Guide to the Combat Carbine and the companion book Stay in the Fight! Warriors Guide to the Combat Pistol. Both are by Sergeant Major Kyle E. Lamb, a 21 year Army veteran who was in Special Ops.

I am going to add a book to this list.

Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life
by Patrick Van Horne

From the blurb: "...LEFT OF BANG, the moments before something bad happens. But how many times have you talked yourself out of leaving the restaurant, getting off the elevator, or getting over your silly “gut” feeling about someone? Is there a way to not just listen to your inner protector more, but to actually increase your sensitivity to threats before they happen? "
I always see recommendations for this book in any conversation about situational awareness, how to stay safe, how to recognize and avoid dangerous situations. This are lessons taken from the Marine Combat Hunter Program to do exactly that - recognize and react to threats.