Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History [Hardcover]

Chuck Wills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2009

In celebration of the BSA's 100th anniversary, Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History is the official and definitive history of one of our nation's most influential and cherished organizations. Packed with stories of service and heroism, and brought to life through more than 1000 images from the BSA's archive, this treasure trove of American history is a must-have for millions of scouts, alumni, volunteers, and anyone interested in the making of a timeless American tradition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From the anonymous Scout who helped W.D. Boyce cross the street in pea-soup London fog to today's most notable Eagle Scouts (including Secretary of Defense Robert H. Gates), this colorful volume lays out the century-long story of a quintessentially American organization, the Boy Scouts of America, for readers of all ages. Author, editor and Eagle Scout Wills (Destination America) outlines the origins and evolution of an organization he clearly cherishes, turning up stories and information that should be new to even the most well-read scout or den mother, concerning scouting's early years, the creation of various merit badges, and the establishment of time-honored BSA ideals like service, preparedness, kindness, and bravery. Many historical vignettes evoke simpler times, straightforward values and a refreshing search for heroism that will resonate with Scouts and the nostalgic, but also charts the early organizations that competed for the opportunity to shape American youth. Wills doesn't ignore controversial issues that the BSA has faced, alongside society-at-large, including segregation, gender equity, religious conflict, and the struggle to maintain a wholesome, enlightened environment. A century's worth of paintings, photos, memorabilia and documents complete this fascinating retrospective, a deep well of can-do Americana.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (November 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756656346
• ISBN-13: 978-0756656348
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great history book on the BSA (but some problems...), November 21, 2009

By 

Michael R. Brown (Tamarac, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History (Hardcover)

This is the 100th Anniversary history book on the BSA.

This is the reasonably priced version of the book they offered for $300. This one doesn't have the DVD or 'extra stuff'. Sadly, there are a few issues with the book.

There's no index!!!

Also, in reading the text, I found several mistakes:

* the story of Boyce being lost in the fog of London is repeated (twice). The problem is that we now know there was no fog when he was there. But atleast the author didn't claim he met B-P as the Scout Association office, and gave better info on when these events occured.

* the author claimed that Seton was the first and only Chief Scout of the BSA. Sorry, incorrect. Both James West and his successor were given that title after they retired as CSE.

* Some of the smaller programs of the BSA were given only a cursory look. Rovers are mentioned briefly. Air Scouts, even less. Varsity Scouts are mentioned, but the work that went into establishing them was not delved into. I found that disappointing, considering some of the pictures of Varsity Scouts was from their experiemental phase when they wore special polo shirts and not BSA uniforms. Sea Scouts were mentioned, but the author makes it seem like Arthur Carey established Sea Scouts and ignored the more significant contributions of James Wilder and especially Thomas Keane who set down the Sea Scout program as we know it today.

* I saw several errors with the notations about pictures and other items.

* the bibliography is disappointing. While I was pleased that the author did consult non-BSA works, I was diappointed by the absence of several books. He didn't check out the recent bios of West and Boyce. He only consulted Boys' Life and Scouting magazines since the 1980s on (I would have reviewed, if cursory, all of them where I the author).

To me, this prevents me from giving this more then 4 stars.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff!, July 29, 2010

By 

Siwash (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History (Hardcover)

The history of scouting is intriguing. It connects with much of what has happened in the 20th century. This book does a great job covering the great breadth of scouting's story.

Its chief failing is that the author writes in a tepid, uninspiring prose style. He's reciting history, and not doing much engaging storytelling. The book should've been written with verve and romance---it's an exciting story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for Boy Scout enthusiasts, April 25, 2011

By 

Marte "InfMom" (Burbank CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History (Hardcover)

I bought this as a gift for my husband, who's been involved with the Boy Scouts in one way or another for most of his life. It's a nicely illustrated history of the Scouts in the USA. However, the author is not a particularly good writer and to me it seemed he spent far too much time gushing over the Scouts rather than providing a straightforward story. Still, for anyone who wants a good overview of the history of the BSA, it's worth buying.