It doesn't matter. He saw the potential of the axe and he knew that the beers will bring more energy to handle that axe. Beers contain protein. Your books doesn't help me too much, maybe to make the first fire or wipe my ass when I shit. The knowledge about plants is not hard to learn "on the fly" and as I said, it takes TIME, that in such a apocalyptic situation you do not have too much.

What if immediately after you are released in that world, an animal is coming straight to you. What you gonna do? hit the animal with the book in his head?