‘Scout’ used to mean the one on watch for the rest. We have widened the word a little. We have made it fit the town as well as the wilderness and suited it to peace time instead of war. We have made the scout an expert in Life-craft as well as Wood-craft, for he is trained in the things of the heart as well as head and hand. Scouting we have made to cover riding, swimming, tramping, trailing, photography, first aid, camping, handicraft, loyalty, obedience, courtesy, thrift, courage, and kindness.

Do these things appeal to you?

Then, whether you be farm boy or shoe clerk, newsboy or millionaire’s son, your place is in our ranks, for these are the thoughts in scouting; it will help you to do better work with your pigs, your shoes, your papers, or your dollars; it will give you new pleasures in life; it will teach you so much of the outdoor world that you wish to know; and this Handbook, the work of many men, each a leader in his field, is their best effort to show you the way. This is, indeed, the book that I so longed for, in those far-off days when I wandered, heart hungry in the woods.

-Ernest Thompson Seton, Chief Scout

The Handbook for Boys is filled page after page with age-old wisdom and practical advice ranging in topic from tent-pitching to wood crafting, camping to sailing, forestry to civic responsibility, and even etiquette. The lessons in this book, accompanied by over 200 figures and illustrations have been read and absorbed by innumerable world leaders, naturalists, scientists, and national icons for generations and they are as valuable today as they were a century ago. Back in print for a new generation, this edition features an original foreword by long-time Boy Scout troop leader and BSA handbook historian, Jeff Snowden. Ideal for nature lovers, collectors, nostalgia-seekers of all stripes, and this valuable piece of American history is sure to delight, entertain, and edify.