Best Selling Books by Robert Baden-Powell

Drawing on Baden-Powell''s extensive archive, Playing the Game is a rich and evocative selection of his writings, on peace - a major theme throughout his career and the theme of the 2007 centenary celebrations, on his own life, from his wonderfull idiosyncratic anecdotal autobiography and includes a healthy sprinkling of some of BP''s more memorable aphorisms, such as ‘I don’t mind confessing I have a weakness for hippos'' and ''The man who holds the average boy’s attention for more than seven minutes is a genius'', not to mention ''Knowledge without character is mere pie-crust''. Imbued with a strong sense of the splendour and the old-school Empire feel of Baden-Powell’s work, Playing the Game offers a dazzling window into a world that’s gone, but whose legacy remains alive, not least in the 28 million members of the Scouts Association

''A scout must always be prepared at any moment to do his duty, and to face danger in order to help his fellow-men.'' A startling amalgam of Zulu war-cry and imperial and urban myth, of borrowed tips on health and hygiene, and object lessons in woodcraft, Robert Baden-Powell''s Scouting for Boys (1908) is the original blueprint and ''self-instructor'' of the Boy Scout Movement. One of the all-time bestsellers in the English-speaking world, this primer of ''yarns and pictures'' constitutes probably the most influential manual for youth ever published. Yet the book is at the same time a roughly composed hodge-podge of jingoist lore and tracker legend, padded with lengthy quotations from adventure fiction and Baden-Powell''s own autobiography, and seamed through with the multiple anxieties of its time: fears of degeneration, concerns about masculinity and self-restraint, invasion paranoia. Elleke Boehmer''s edition of Scouting for Boys reprints the original text and illustrations, and her fine introduction investigates a book that has been cited as an authority by militarists and pacifists, capitalists and environmentalists alike.

In 1899 while serving in the 2nd Boer War, Robert Baden-Powell penned his sixth military book, Aids To Scouting. It was a non-typical training manual filled with personal stories of intrigue and even games. Its goal was to encourage the development of light reconnaissance scouting skills within the British Army. The book was well received by various armies of its time, including the French Army. His successful defense of Mafeking (1899-1900) in South Africa made Baden-Powell a well-known national hero in Britain. But what completely surprised Baden-Powell was that his book was eagerly taken up by teachers and youth groups to help organize outdoor activities and sport. He eventually embraced the idea of adapting his work into a new youth-oriented book, Scouting for Boys (1908) which went on to sell approx. 150 million copies to date. It was that follow-on book that firmly launched the international Boy Scouts movement. Aids to Scouting contains sections on the characters of a scout, as well as practical advice on observation, stealth/camouflage, map reading, sketching, tracking, reporting and care of horses. It presents these topics is a simple conversational style that makes it easy to read, and is illustrated with personal anecdotes of military adventures by the author. It gives scholars clear insights into his mindset and beliefs that served him well in the siege of Mafeking and shows a clear lineage to the formation of the tenets of his formation of the Boy Scouts. Anyone interested in the history of Boy Scouting will definitely want to read this interesting and formative book. (NOTE - Appendix C contents is missing in this Kindle version - but we hope to update the ebook with it once a suitable facsimile can be referenced). Keywords: Boy Scout,scout,recon,cavalry,Boer War,british,scouting,recce, South Africa

Reproduction of the original: Young Knights of the Empire by Robert Baden-Powell

Reproduction of the original: Scouting For Girls Adapted From Girl Guiding by Robert Baden-Powell

Reproduction of the original. The Antigonos publishing house specialises in the publication of reprints of historical books. We make sure that these works are made available to the public in good condition in order to preserve their cultural heritage.

While serving in the 2nd Boer War, Robert Baden-Powell penned, Aids To Scouting (also available at Google Play). Its goal was to encourage the development of light reconnaissance scouting skills within the British Army. But what completely surprised Baden-Powell was that his book was eagerly taken up by teachers and youth groups to help organize outdoor activities and sport. He eventually embraced the idea of adapting his work into a new youth-oriented book, Scouting for Boys (1908) which went on to become an international phenomenon. This title for boys, written in 1915, draws on his own battle experiences in India and Africa, to encourage the development of shooting skills within British youth. Powell covers the basics in a simple, straight-forward manner, while the portions on unit drill with arms are clearly obsolete, the remainder is a decent introduction in elementary gun handling and beginning practical marksmanship for younger shooters.