Reddit reviews CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 94th Edition

• The first four books of the Foxfire book series are good for many interesting bits of old-time know-how that have disappeared.
  
• The books Where There Is No Doctor and Where There Is No Dentist are available as downloads from Hesperian. Personally I like printed versions and ordered them off of Amazon.
  
• The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives covers some very important ground if you're concerned about generational collapse and self-defense.
  
• It's always good to have a version of the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and the CRC Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae.
  
• If you want to learn basic electronics get your ham license. The study books are relatively good guides to the basics.
  
  I don't have any good book recommendations for mechanical skills. I have a number of specialized ones but nothing really generic that I would recommend.

Merck Index or CRC Handbook for Chemistry and Physics.

http://www.amazon.com/CRC-Handbook-Chemistry-Physics-94th/dp/1466571144/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395534302&sr=1-5&keywords=merck+index+chemistry