Idiocy is not a prerequisite for reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching; it should be required reading for all who love the game. Written by Jack W. Peters and the editors and staff of geocaching.com, the book is indeed a guide for all facets of this sport.

The guide is great for learning the proper way to design and hide a cache. With examples of actual caches, everything is considered from containers and location to the swag inside. The book even discusses golf balls in caches!The greenest newbie will find easy to follow steps for everything from purchasing his first GPS receiver to learning the subtleties of geocaching and its environmental impact. Helpful hints and advice from seasoned cachers prevails throughout this book.

The technical aspect of caching weighs heavy, with whole chapters devoted to paperless caching and creative use of computers as well as the future of GPS equipment and entertainment.

In great detail, the authors describe the basic functions of receivers and how to initialize them for your particular location. The principles of GPS accuracy are fully described with good advice on dealing with inherent accuracy limitations. Using your computer, navigating websites and developing a cacher profile are made easy.

But, Peters says, the first rule in geocaching is “have fun.” So all is not technology. The book, claiming to be the first book on the subject and the official book of geocaching.com, portrays the geocaching community as a tightly-knit but rapidly growing group of fun-loving, outdoor people addicted to high technology.

Discussions about planning events, organizations, competitions and other geo-community activities are clear, frank and insightful, too. A chapter devoted to GPS activities other than geocaching describes The Degree Confluence Project, Benchmark hunting, Geodashing and letterboxing.

The guide is great for learning the proper way to design and hide a cache. With examples of actual caches, everything is considered from containers and location to the swag inside. The book even discusses golf balls in caches!

Travelers are certainly not overlooked in this manual. Included, are good tips about how to find caches away from your home. The well-equipped geocaching traveler is described, and you might wonder, after seeing the equipment available, if anybody could get through airport security with all that stuff.

Included is a thorough history of geocaching and GPS that allows readers to add perspective to the game that has captivated hundreds of thousands in just a few years.

Peters is the publisher of GPSNavigatorMagazine.com, an online resource for recreational GPS use. He is also the author of GPS Navigation Guide.

Well indexed, with a summary at the end of each chapter, The Idiot’s Guide is organized and easy to use. It is the obvious choice for a textbook in any geocaching lesson plan.

Available from Alpha Books for $16.95 US, it is also an obvious choice for your favorite cacher’s Christmas stocking.