THE VERY EXPLICIT warning at the beginning of The Worst-Case Scenario Handbook says:

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO UNDERTAKE ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK YOURSELF.

It should probably continue:

BUT HAVE FUN IMAGINING YOURSELF IN THESE DICEY SITUATIONS.

Like the hit TV show Survivor and the movie The Perfect Storm, the Worst Case Scenario Handbook allows us to imagine ourselves beating the odds and coping with some of the very worst circumstances imaginable.

What’s the reason for the sudden interest in survival and disaster? Worst-Case Scenario authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht hint at one answer. “You just never know.”

Part tongue-in-cheek guide and part practical advice, Worst-Case divides its How-To categories into five sections:

Simple, wood-cut illustrations and an austere red and black type give this little book an authentic handbook feel. The writing is simple and straightforward; the authors have obviously done their homework and incorporated the advice they received from experts. Survival tips are broken into numbered points for the reader. The reader gets the feeling that if he or she ever really had to land a plane, this simple handbook would provide easy guidance all the way to the landing strip.

Piven and Borgenicht make clear that the handbook is not only entertaining, but useful. Of course, most of us can reasonably expect we won't be performing emergency tracheotomies anytime soon. (Though in the off-chance that you are, first locate the cricoid cartilage in the victim's neck, make an incision with a sharp razor, and then use your finger to open the slit and insert a straw in the slit for the person to breathe.)

Unlike the tracheotomy tutorial, some of the pieces here are surprisingly practical for everyday life, as in the guide to treating frostbite. (As with most of the advice, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.)

So what should you actually do with the Worst-Case Scenario Handbook? Piven and Borgenicht have prepared the answer: "Get a copy and keep it in your glove compartment. Take it with you when you travel. Give a copy to your friends and loved ones." Gift-giving may be the best advice for putting the Worst-Case Scenario Handbook to use.