How to Avoid a Lightning Strike: 190 Essential Life Skills

It's an urban jungle out there, and if it's not the survival of the fittest, it's certainly the survival of the most practical. But how's a boy or girl supposed to learn life's essential practicalities in these days of hustle, bustle, and laid-back parenting? How to Avoid Being Struck By Lightning is the solution. It's a mentor, a tutor, a driving instructor, a mom, a dad, a grandparent, a scout instructor, and a coach rolled into one. Dividing life into four sections, and then subdividing its challenges into manageable chapters, it's the most practical manual on the planet, offering step-by-step guides to the essential skills required for every practical challenge. If they're not essential, they're not here. If they are, they are.

Nic Compton is a writer/photographer specialising in sailing - but with a keen interest in environmental issues. After an idyllic childhood on boats in the Mediterranean, he returned to the UK at age 14 to complete his formal education, including in a degree in English with American & Commonwealth Arts at Exeter University. After a decade or so working as a journeyman shipwright, he studied Journalism at City University, eventually fetching up at the offices of Classic Boat in land-locked Croydon. He was deputy editor and then editor of the magazine from 1994 to 2000.