Scouting for Boys

Infobox Book
name = Scouting for Boys
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of second part of Scouting for Boys, January 1908
author = Robert Baden-Powell
illustrator = Robert Baden-Powell
cover_artist = John Hassall
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
subject = Scouting
genre = boy's handbook
publisher = Horace Cox
pub_date = 1908
english_pub_date = 15 January 1908
media_type =
pages =
isbn =
oclc =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship" is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder. It is based on his boyhood experiences, his experience with the Mafeking Cadet Corps during the Second Boer War at the Siege of Mafeking, and on his experimental camp on Brownsea Island, England. It is the fourth bestselling book of the 20th century.

History

"Scouting for Boys" (1908) is Baden-Powell's rewrite of his earlier military books "Reconnaissance and Scouting" (1884) and "Aids to Scouting for NCOs and Men" (1899). These books were military manuals used by the British Army to train scouts. At Mafeking, Baden-Powell recruited and trained boys aged 12-15 as postmen, messengers, and later to carry the wounded, to free men for fighting. Upon return to England, following the Boer War, Baden-Powell learned some British schools had been using his books to teach observation and deduction. He decided to revise his military publications into a book for boys. Several friends supported Baden-Powell, including Sir William Alexander Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade, and Cyril Arthur Pearson, who owned newspapers and printing presses.cite book | first = Elleke | last = Boehmer | authorlink = Elleke Boehmer | title = Notes to 2004 edition | year = 2004 | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford ] In 1906 and 1907 Baden-Powell spent a lot of time writing "Scouting for Boys" and advancing his ideas about the Boy Scouts Scheme. These were tested in a camp on Brownsea Island in the summer of 1907, where Pearson's literary editor Percy Everett assisted.

"Scouting for Boys" was published in six fortnightly instalments of approximately 70 pages each, from January to March 1908. They were produced by Pearson's printer, Horace Cox. These six publications were a success, and as planned were issued in book form on 1 May 1908. "Scouting for Boys" has been translated into many languages. In 1948, the book was still selling 50 000 copies annually. Only in 1967 was a decline noted by the publisher, and in the last decades of the 20th century, even by the Scout movement, the book came to be seen as a period curiosity. It is claimed to be the fourth bestselling book of the 20th century. [cite news | last = Smith | first = David | title = Scouts uncool? Not in my book | work = The Observer | date =2007-04-22 | url = http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2062862,00.html | accessdate = 2007-08-17] cite web | first = Ian | last = Hislop | title = The Edwardians | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/scouting-for-boys.shtml | publisher = BBC Four | date = 10 June 2007 | accessdate = 2007-10-31] A realistic estimate is that approximately 4 million copies of the UK edition have been sold. Extrapolating this to 87 different language editions worldwide, historic world sales of "Scouting for Boys" can be estimated at 100 to 150 millions copies since 1908.cite web | title = " UK and World Census figures | url = http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/history/census.htm | publisher = The Scout Association | accessdate = 2008-02-12]

Editions

*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | edition = First publication | month = January–March | year = 1908 | publisher = Horace Cox (printer for C.A. Pearson) | location = London, Windsor House, Bream's Buildings, E.C. | pages = six instalments of approx 70 pages each
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | edition = 1st edition in bookform, cloth-bound | date = 1 May 1908 | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London, Henrietta Street | pages = 288 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 2nd revised edition | year = 1909 | month = June
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 3rd enlarged edition | year = 1910 | month = July
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 4th enlarged and revised edition | year = 1911 | month = October
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 5th edition | year = 1912 | month = November
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 6th edition | year = 1913 | month = April
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 7th edition | year = 1913 | month = December
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 8th edition | year = 1916 | month = January | pages = 352 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 9th edition | year = 1918 | month = May | pages = 334 pages, plus My Views on "Pelmanism"
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London, Tower House | edition = 11th edition | year = 1924 | pages = 338 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 12th edition | year = 1926 | pages = 338 pages
*cite book | title = Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = Memorial 22nd edition | year = 1944 | pages = 328 pages
*cite book | editor = Jan Schaap (editor) | title = Het verkennen voor jongens | language = Dutch | | publisher = De Nederlandsche Padvinders | location = 's-Gravenhage | edition = 5th edition, Canadian gift to Dutch Scouting, cloth bound | year = 1944 | pages = 269 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys in India | publisher = General Headquarters of the Boy Scout Association in India | edition = 1st Indian edition | year = 1946 | pages = 316 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | edition = World Brotherhood Edition | publisher = Boy Scouts of America for and on behalf of the Boy Scouts International Bureau | year = 1946 | pages = 328 pages
*cite book | title = Het verkennen voor jongens | language = Dutch | publisher = Nationale Padvindersraad | location = 's-Gravenhage | edition = 6th edition, hard cover | year = approx 1950 | pages = 395 pages
*cite book | title = Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys | publisher = C. Arthur Pearson Ltd | location = London | edition = 30th edition | year = 1957 | pages = 328 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = The Boy Scouts Association | location = London | edition = Scouts edition (abridged) | year = 1963 | pages = 182 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | publisher = Boy Scouts of Canada | year = 1973| pages = 331 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting brā'ē tiflān | language = Urdu | editor = Mir Mohammad Mohsin | publisher = National Book Foundation | location = Islamabad | year = 1973
*cite book | title = Verkennen voor jeugd | editor = Theo P.M. Palstra (editor)| language = Dutch | | publisher = Scouting Nederland | location = Amersfoort | edition = 10th edition, paperback | year = 1977 | pages = 301 pages
*cite book | title = Scoutismo per ragazzi | language = Italian | editor = Fausto Catani | location = Milan | publisher = Ancora | year = 1978 | pages = 438 pages
*cite book | title = Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys | | publisher = Boy Scouts of America | edition = Brownsea jubilee edition | year = 1982 | id = ISBN 0-8395-3591-0
*cite book | title = Skauttingu-kuttikalkku | language = Malayalam | editor = P. V. Paulose | locaion = Trivandrum | publisher = Bharat scouts and guides | year = 1982 | pages = 456 pages
*cite book | title = Pfadfinder: ein Handbuch der Erziehung | edition = 13th edition | language = German | location = Bern |publisher = Pfadfinder-Materialbüro | year = 1983 | pages = 315 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for boys | language = Swedish | editor = Frithiof Dahlby | location = Stockholm | publisher = Scoutförl. | year = 1983 | pages = 192 pages
*cite book | title = Partiopojan kirja | edition = 3rd edition | language = Finnish | editor = Paula Koho | location = Helsinki | publisher = Partiokirja | year = 1986 | pages = 350 pages
*cite book | title = Skauting dla chłopców : wychowanie dobrego obywatela metodą puszczańską | language = Polish | editor = Stanisław Kapiszewski | location = Warsaw | publisher = Oficyna Przeglądu Powszechnego | year = 1990 | pages = 375 pages
*cite book | title = Cserkészet fiúknak: kézikönyv a jó állampolgár neveléséhez az erdőjárás révén | language = Hungarian | edior = József Illy | location = Budapest | publisher = M. Cserkészcsapatok Szövets | year = 1994 | pages = 277 pages
*cite book | title = Escutismo para rapazes | language = Portuguese | editor = José Francisco dos Santos | location = Lisbon | publisher = Corpo Nacional de Escutas | year = 1995 | pages = 310 pages
*cite book | title = Pfadfinder | language = German | edition = 3rd edition | editor = Peter Bleeser | location = Neuss | publisher = Georgs-Verlag | year = 1996 | pages = 309 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | edition = paperback | | publisher = The Scout Association | year = 1998 | id = ISBN 0-85165-247-6
*cite book | title = Bālakarigāgi skauting | language = Kannada | editor = R. Chandrasekharan | location = Bangalore | publisher = Navakarnataka | year = 2000 | pages = 321 pages
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | editor = Elleke Boehmer (editor) | edition = hard cover | | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford | year = 2004 | id = ISBN 0-19-280547-9
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys (Singapore - Malaysia Edition) | editor = Kevin Y.L. Tan (editor) | edition = paperback | | publisher = Brownsea Singapore | location = Singapore | year = 2004 | id = ISBN 981-05-1831-5
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys (Singapore - Malaysia Edition) | editor = Kevin Y.L. Tan (editor) | edition = hard cover | publisher = Brownsea Singapore | location = Singapore | year = 2004 | id = ISBN 981-05-1830-7
*cite book | title = Scouting for Boys | editor = Elleke Boehmer (editor) |edition = paperback | | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford/New York | year = 2005 | month = June | id = ISBN 0-19-280246-1 | url = http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/TravelSportsRecreation/Recreation/?view=usa&ci=9780192802460 | pages = 448 pages

Contents

All parts of the six installments in 1908 have the title "Scouting for Boys" in big capitals. With a listed price of '4d. net', it was affordable to many boys, many of whom would have been at work, as the school-leaving age was 14. Authorship is attributed: 'by B-P (Lieut. Gen. Baden Powell C.B.)' (sic).

Most chapters start with hints to instructors. All chapters have campfire yarns, appealing to boys, most contain sections with games and activities, and they close with recommendations for books to read.cite news | title = What would Baden-Powell do? | first = Finlo | last = Rohrer | work = BBC News Magazine | date = 27 July 2007 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6918066.stm | accessdate = 2007-10-30]

Part I. Scoutcraft

The first instalment contains pages 3 to 70. It provides the basic details of scouting.

Part IV. Endurance and chivalry

The fourth part covers pages 207 to 270. It contains chapter VI "Endurance for scouts, or How to be strong", and chapter VII "Chivalry of the knights."

Copyright Status

The British Scout Association owns the copyright to "Scouting for Boys" today. The book will enter the Public Domain in 2011, 70 years after the death of its author on 8 January 1941. [cite web | title = Copyright. A guide to reproducing material owned by The Scout Association | publisher = The Scout Association | url = http://www.scouts.org.uk/aboutus/pdfs/copyright.pdf | accessdate = 2007-09-24] Until then, it may only be reproduced after permission is granted from the Scout Association headquarters (other than for copyright exceptions in specific countries, such as fair use). The Boy Scouts of America have been granted a special copyright license by Baden-Powell himself for their "Boy Scout Handbook", written during the BSA's formal founding in 1910.cite book | first = Tim | last = Jeal | authorlink = Tim Jeal | title = Baden-Powell | publisher = Hutchinson | location = London| year = 1989 | id = ISBN 0-09-170670-X ]

ee also

Other notable books related to Scouting by Baden-Powell include:
*The Wolf Cub's Handbook, for Wolf Cubs (Cub Scouts)
*Rovering to Success, for Rovers
*Aids to Scoutmastership, for ScoutmastersOther notable books related to Scouting by other authors include:
*Boy Scout Handbook "(Boy Scouts of America)"
*Baden-Powell (book)

References

External links

* [http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/s4b.html Full on-line text of "Scouting for Boys" by The Dump, resources for Scouting]