Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship

"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 "The overall impression left by Scouting for Boys is, as it was intended to be, bracing. Through this book, untold millions of boys have been led to healthy and harmless fun, acquiring some solid moral and practical instruction along the way. It is easy to smile now at the book's author, at his enthusiasm for pastimes like pig-sticking and skirt-dancing, his snobbery and imperialism, his determined repression of his own sexuality, whatever it was. It is not so easy to discount his achievement. Baden-Powell was nominated for the 1939 Nobel Peace Prize. The matter fell through because of the war; but looking through the list of subsequent recipients of that award, I doubt there is even one who did as much good in the world as the author of Scouting for Boys ."-- New York Sun "This new edition is a delight for fathers who once were or now have Boy Scouts, and a remarkable look into the mind of an unusual man and the culture that influenced him.... Baden-Powell's call for both boys (and girls) to be their best and 'do a good turn daily' remains compelling, and the stories, games, and skills he writes about are as stirring to the boyish soul as they were a century ago."-- Book Page "A fine and intriguing vision of threatened Anglo-American masculinity at the crisis and crest of empire. It's also a hoot."-- Chicago Tribune "Baden Powell had charm and courage, and a knack with the young, and he could draw excellent freehand illustrations. All these qualities are evident in this best-selling manual of 1908, now cleverly reissued by Oxford University Press. It's one of the very few books of the twentieth century that actually led to the formation of a worldwide movement."--Christopher Hitchens, The Atlantic Monthly "Reissued for the first time...the original Scouting for Boys includes plenty of quaint language and chuckle-worthy advice. But for all its anachronisms, Baden-Powell's blueprint for what became a worldwide movement remains strangely resonant with our own times."-- U.S. News and World Report "A flash-frozen, perfectly preserved moment in time, effectively conveying the sense and character of the Edwardian era, rendered not only readable, but delivering a surprisingly pleasant kick through Baden-Powell's vivid, gee-whiz prose."-- San Diego Union Tribune "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 a lot about Baden-Powell, his movement 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 "Baden-Powell's work is well worth reading and re-reading, and that researchers with various interests and theoretical persuasions may find in its pages a great deal of interesting and rewarding material." -- Thomas Kullman, Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen 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 .