A survey of recent self-help books''The Stress Management Sourcebook,'' by J. Barton Cunningham, Ph.D. (Lowell House hardcover, $27).

Whole forests have been turned into stress-fighting tomes over the past decade, but misinformation persists, says this Canadian expert in stress management and relaxation. By way of introduction, he explains why overwork is not the greatest stressor; that no job is intrinsically more stressful than another; that the style of an organization may contribute as much to stress as individual personality characteristics; and that exercise is not the universal panacea. But if you think you have to make a bunch of lifestyle changes to counteract stress, you may be correct. The key is ''to recognize the complex web that connects stress, diet, exercise and personality,'' Cunningham writes. His book covers all of those, and suggests ways to manage stress created by work and relationships, although in sometimes tedious academic language.

Stress Management

''The Therapy Answer Book,'' by Kathleen J. Papatola, Ph.D. (Fairview paperback, $12.95 in stores or call 1-800-544-8207). A therapist in St. Paul, Minn., Papatola says she wants to correct her profession's ''failure to educate our patients about what we do and why we do it.'' That's mighty broad turf for any single book. As you might expect, this one is merely schematic about the types of therapy available, what works best for what kind of problems, insurance coverage, treatment goals and so forth. But it may be useful for reassuring the troubled timid and explaining the obvious to the totally clueless.

''Men Are From Cyberspace: The Single Woman's Guide to Flirting, Dating, and Finding Love On-Line,'' by Lisa Skriloff and Jodie Gould (St. Martin's paperback, $11.95). ''If you're savvy, you can weed out the weirdos'' among the folks you meet online, says Sarah. She's one of more than 20 cyberians ages 19 to 63 who share their personal romantic experiences -- good and bad -- in this safety-conscious guide. Explaining how to balance the net's open-door intimacy with the need to maintain personal privacy is important to the authors, but they don't let it get in the way of fun. (That is, of course, assuming you consider the glare of online personals, computer chats to be fun.) While finding the real path to relaxation is always a goal in the background, they point the way to all kinds of sites, including some that serve up an evening's titillation and others populated by seekers of everlasting love. Newbies will find enough online etiquette and shorthand to quiet their nerves and get on with it.

''Enjoy Old Age: A Practical Guide,'' by B.F. Skinner and Margaret E. Vaughan (Norton paperback, $11). The Harvard psychologist is best remembered for his experiments in conditioning, but he spent 20 years in what we think of as old age and thus became something of an expert in it. Newly reissued in paperback, this book was based on a paper of his that attracted considerable attention at an annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. The year was 1982 -- a time when the baby boomers who lately have become so interested in aging still were reluctant to trust anyone over 30. (Skinner was 78 then; he died in his 86th year, in 1990.) This book has nothing in it about retirement financing or prolonging youthful appearance, the two hot aging topics of the moment. And it has none of the earnest attitude -- that ''we'll be the best old folks ever'' stuff -- that the postwar generation has only started working up. Instead, Skinner writes gracefully -- in everyday English -- about the intellectual challenges of old age: keeping in touch with the world, maintaining clarity of thought, getting along with others, coping with fears of death. ''Old age is rather like another country,'' he writes. ''You will enjoy it more if have prepared yourself before you go.''

''Outdoor Survival Skills,'' by Larry Dean Olsen (Chicago Review Press paperback, $14.95 in stores or call 1-800-888-4741). Olsen was just 12 when he started living in the Stone Age, and he's made a career of it, though not obsessively: He tans hides and makes his own arrowheads, but also has his own Web site. He's a genius in desert survival -- creating primitive tools, shelter and clothing from next to nothing, and whipping up wilderness replacement meals you'd never (ever!) find at Eatzi's. He has consulted for the Boy Scouts and Hollywood, and co-founded a survival school for troubled kids that's lasted more than 30 years in Arizona's unforgiving Verde River Valley. This sixth edition of his book, first published in 1967, is a classic of its kind. It's lavishly illustrated with color plates of edible plants and photos demonstrating such nearly lost arts as the design of deadfall traps and proper use of the rodent skewer.

Alternative Medicine > General