Kurt Saxon (born Donald Eugene Sisco; March 6, 1932 – August 16, 2021) was an American
writer,
radio host,
survivalist and the author of The Poor Man's James Bond, a series of books on
improvised weapons and munitions.
History
During the 1960s, Saxon drifted into and out of several political organizations and new religious movements, including the
American Nazi Party,[1] the
John Birch Society, the
Minutemen, and the
Church of Scientology. In August 1970, he appeared before a Senate Investigations subcommittee holding hearings on bombings and terrorism. According to newspaper accounts, he suggested police and "concerned citizens" use bombs to wipe out "leftists," and recommended that student demonstrators be machine-gunned in the streets.[2]
By the early 1970s he came to reject the political and religious groups of the 1960s, and began writing on
homesteading and
preparedness issues. He claims to have coined the term "survivalism"[3] to refer to making preparations for a future collapse of society or a major disaster.[4]
Saxon claimed that
David Letterman had once invited him to appear on his show to demonstrate recipes from his book Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Chemistry, but later cancelled Saxon's appearance after a rehearsal went badly.[5]
In the early 1990s, Saxon had a
shortwave radio program over
WRNO, New Orleans, Louisiana.[6]
Books and periodicals
Saxon is the author, under his birth name "Don Sisco," of The Militant's Formulary. After his legal name change to Kurt Saxon, he authored the
biker book Wheels of Rage, a partially fictitious, but mostly factual account of the
San Fernando, California based Iron Cross M.C., an Outlaw
motorcycle club; the Poor Man's James Bond series of books on improvised weaponry; and Granddad's Wonderful Book of Chemistry as well as Granddad's Wonderful Book of Electricity, which are compilations of several out of print hobbyist booklets on home brew chemistry and electronics projects.
In 1976 he began publishing The Survivor to celebrate forgotten pioneer skills.[7] These newsletters combined Saxon's articles with reprints of articles on 19th century technology of interest to the survivalist movement. He later compiled the material into a series of books by the same name.
As his own publisher, Saxon advertised his work in such publications as the
Berkeley Barb.[8]
During the early 1990s when the
American militia movement was at its peak in the United States, Saxon published a short-lived magazine called U.S. Militia.
Saxon also wrote at least one article for
Mel Tappan's P.S. Letter.[9]
Reception
From his earliest works, Saxon's writing has been cited and recommended in more mainstream publications. How to Cut Your Food Bill by Half or More was acknowledged in both survivalist[10] and money management[11] fields. His 1976 book Medicines Like Granddad Used to Make was included in a
U.S. Department of Health bibliography of medical history.[12]
Selected works
Books
The Militant's Formulary. Atlan Formularies, 1971.
Published under Saxon's birth name, Don Sisco.
The Poor Man's James Bond: The Complete "Militant's Formulary" and Much, Much More. Atlan Formularies, 1972.
How to Cut Your Food Bill by Half or More (City Survival During the Famine to Come). Atlan Formularies, 1973. [2nd ed.]
The Instant Who's Who in the Bible. Atlan Formularies, 1974.
Medicines Like Granddad Used to Make. Atlan Formularies, 1976.
Reprint of the Medical department section of Dr. Chase's Recipes; or, Information for Everybody, by A. W. Chase, and of selections from Dick’s Encyclopaedia of Practical Receipts and Processes, by W. B. Dick. Published in 1872 by Dick & Fitzgerald in New York, now with a new foreword by Kurt Saxon.
Old Time Home Food Processing For Fun and Profit. Eureka, CA: Atlan Formularies, 1977.
^Doornbos, Harald; Moussa, Jenan (September 9, 2014).
"Recipes From the Islamic State's Laptop of Doom". Retrieved June 3, 2020. One 21-minute clip, featuring former American Nazi Party member Kurt Saxon, offers instructions for how to obtain the deadly toxin ricin from castor beans.