A startling amalgam of Zulu war-cry and Sherlock Holmes, of practical tips on health and hygiene and object lessons in woodcraft, Scouting for Boys (1908) is the original blueprint and inspiration for the Boy Scout Movement. An all-time bestseller in the English-speaking world, second in its heyday only to the Bible, it is one of the most influential manuals for youth ever published, known and loved around the world. Including all of Baden-Powell's original illustrations, this new critical edition of Scouting for Boys serves up a wonderful hodge-podge of true crime stories, stern moralizing, stock adventure tales, natural history, first-aid tips, advice on observation and tracking, and much more. Readers will find a roughly composed pastiche of jingoist lore and tracker legend, padded with lengthy quotations from adventure fiction-from Rudyard Kipling and James Fenimore Cooper, to Alexander Dumas and Arthur Conan Doyle-and seamed through with the multiple anxieties of its time: fears of degeneration ("the fall of the Roman empire was due to bad citizenship") and a constant worry over imminent war. Alongside practical instructions on how to light fires, build a boat, or stalk animals (or men), it includes sections on chivalry, self-discipline, self-improvement, and citizenship. Indeed, the book brims with Baden-Powell's philosophy of life, one that replaces self with service, puts country before the individual, and duty above all. The introduction by Elleke Boehmer illuminates the book's maverick complexity and her notes clarify obscure references. Though almost a century old, Scouting for Boys continues to fascinate, surprise, and motivate readers today. It will delight anyone interested in popular culture, Victorian history, and literature for children.
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"Edited, annotated and introduced by Elleke Boehmer, professor of colonial and post-colonial literature at Nottingham Trent University in England, this fascinating volume tells us alot about Baden-Powell, his movements and even to some extent the particular point in time when scouting was born"--Washington Times "Scouting for Boys was written in the spirit of Peter Pan and Kipling's Kim; the games and plays and campfire stories are full of good ideas and good fun. The chapters on tracking, woodcraft, camp life and chivalry are full of simple (sometimes lifesaving) bits of practical information and exercises that teach children how to be observant, courteous and innovative."--Los Angeles Times
About the Author
Elleke Boehmer is Hildred Carlile Professor in English at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is the author of many books and articles on postcolonial writing and theory. She has also written short stories and three novels, most recently Bloodlines.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
At the very beginning of the twentieth century, retired General Robert Baden-Powell, the hero of the siege of Mafeking, coalesced his ideas for an organization to train young British boys in scouting for the British Empire. Not a very organized thinker, Baden-Powell borrowed heavily from all sorts of unrelated resources - newspaper articles, military dispatches, fiction, and much more - and produced this, his first book on scouting. Originally published as six separate books, this book brings all of them together, complete with original illustrations.
Now, as might be expected from its roots, this book reflects a lot of the biases and ways of thinking from Edwardian England. But, leaving that aside, this is a fun and interesting book that shows clearly the forms that have stayed with the Boy Scouts movement to this very day. The introduction was written by Elleke Boehmer, a professor of Colonial and Postcolonial literature, and is a fairly predictable deconstruction/analysis of B-P and his movement.
Now, as a newcomer to Scouting (my son is a Tenderfoot) did I find anything useful in this book? I sure did. Robert Baden-Powell was very knowledgeable about the subject, and this book sure shows it. (I never thought of tying my shoes like that!) Of course some of the information is out of date, especially the first-aid information, so it isn't really usable by the boys "as is." But, this is a nice resource, one that shows you where Scouting started.
Oh, and I must say that I actually enjoyed the somewhat jumbled organization of this book. It isn't as scholarly and antiseptic as modern Boy Scout books, and the stories and tales laced throughout make the reading much more fun. Plus, I did find the focus on some subjects, such as logic and deductive reasoning, to be quite interesting. I loved this book, and highly recommend it to you!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought this for a bit of a laugh initially, that and the Ian Hislop program on TV.
Its parochial, jingoistic, self centred and too focussed on 'self abuse' ..
but...
It has some pretty good stuff! Its ridiculously egalitarian considering when it was written, and respectful of all independent of wealth, race, creed, etc. All in all, kids should read this.
I finished this book with an odd feeling of pride in being British. The values promoted in this book are my values, despite never having been a scout myself.
God save the Queen!
Its parochial, jingoistic, self centred and too focussed on 'self abuse' ..
but...
It has some pretty good stuff! Its ridiculously egalitarian considering when it was written, and respectful of all independent of wealth, race, creed, etc. All in all, kids should read this.
I finished this book with an odd feeling of pride in being British. The values promoted in this book are my values, despite never having been a scout myself.
God save the Queen!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. J. Payne
Format:Hardcover
What a lovely well written and profound piece of literature. A time less piece of work that reinforces the very best attitudes and acceptable social standards of its day and certainly one by which a lot of the youth of today could learn by. I am pleased that both of my sons have found this book a hearty and enjoyable read with the ability to pick it up and put it down at will dipping into its wisdom and practicality when ever they need to. Well done BP.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dyb,dyb,dyb
As a former Cub and Scout I still find BP's original book as gripping as when I first read a copy many years ago.
Published 16 months ago by Dalesman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Deceiving Title
Not at all what I'd expected.
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Published 16 months ago by Luke Mc Evoy
5.0 out of 5 stars
The male ethic
Many of the underlying attitudes present in some books from the first half of the 20th century make me shudder, but this book is not one of them. Read more
Published 17 months ago by D. L. George
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating
This, the 1908 edition of Scouting for Boys is a captivating book for a variety of reasons. First of all, we see early on in the work that Baden Powell knew his stuff, as it were. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2011 by Mr. J. M. Haines
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless
So much that is still relevant today. A great read which carries the reader back into a different time when Scouting was introduced. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2010 by Mr. N. J. Woodall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scouting For Boys
Arrived very quickly and in excellent condition, thoroughly recommend this seller. Very useful book too fascinating reading, like stepping back 100 years, advice still relevant to... Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2010 by T. C. Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars
scouting for boyes
i bought this book when i was 13 and now for the sake of nostalgia i have bought it again i am now 75 i still find it a good read with principles some of our modern youths could... Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2010 by Mr. Donald Crabtree
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scouting for boys review
I have been looking forward to receiving a copy of this book for a long time. It was worth the wait
Published on 2 Jun 2009 by Mrs JMcK
3.0 out of 5 stars
A very quick one.
"now characterised as an imperialist hand-book"
Quote from Dr. Stephen Badsey, 'Propaganda and the Defence of Empire,' in Greg Kennedy (ed. Read more
Quote from Dr. Stephen Badsey, 'Propaganda and the Defence of Empire,' in Greg Kennedy (ed. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2009 by Mr. W. Domanski
4.0 out of 5 stars
INtriguing insight into early century salutary journal
I am hoping this is a verbatim reprint of the original title, a copy of which I once had but lost. Subjects covered include cleanliness in the wild (bowel-movements) and avoidance... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 1998
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