Scouting for Boys: The Original 1908 Edition

Written by Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army and founder of the international Scouting movement, Scouting for Boys is one of the most influential manuals for youth ever published. First printed in 1908, it remains an all-time bestseller in the English-speaking world, second only to the Bible.
The original blueprint and "self-instructor" of the Boy Scout Movement, Scouting for Boys is a fascinating fusion of "yarns and pictures," an irresistible mixture of nationalistic narrative, tracker legend, and quotations from Baden-Powell's own autobiography and the popular adventure fiction of Rudyard Kipling, James Fenimore Cooper, and Alexander Dumas. The book provides practical advice on lighting fires, building boats and stalking animals, alongside proper Victorian-era education on chivalry and manners, self-discipline and improvement, and above all, good citizenship. Expounding upon the topics intrinsic to the life of a scout — tracking, woodcraft, camp life, endurance, patriotism, and more — this classic is essential for anyone interested in popular culture and the history of scouting and youth education. Ninety original diagrams and illustrations enhance the text.

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.