Customer Reviews

Boy Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Dover Books on Americana)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was very disappointed with this volume and I haven't yet decided to return it. For some reason, all the original diagrams and illustrations have been removed from the reprint -- even where they are referenced in the text.

There is no TOC or index and or any use of bold or highlighted typefaces to even determine the beginning or end of a topic.

The volume is poorly laid-out. For example, a 43-page listing of suggested materials at the end lists Title, Author and Publisher with no line breaks between the references.

In fact, there isn't a line break or paragraph heading in the entire volume. It looks very much like a computer printout from the pre-desktop publishing era, before WYSIWYG typography.

Please note, the original volume was NOT formatted this way, this was a very cheap reproduction of the original, unskillfully assembled with no effort at all going into the publishing process. This makes it useless as a reference book.

Anyone that spends any time in the great outdoors owes it to themselves to get this book.
It's jam-packed with timeless tips to make even a greenhorn look like a seasoned old pro.
Plus...it's a doorway back to a kinder time that bears remembering.

The book is an exact replica of the 1911 handbook, right down to the ads. A must have, especially for the centennial.

This book with the original illustrations, including all the ads that were at the back of the book, can be downloaded as an ebook for free from Project Gutenberg.

The Boy Scouts Handbook provides a wealth of information on character building and self-sufficiency. We should all be mentored in preparedness.

I was looking for a simple reference guide to wilderness camping and hiking... I was in the Boy Scouts back in the 70's and remembered the wonderful things I was taught about camping and hiking. I figured that this earlier edition (1911) would be filled with a wealth of knowledge...wrong! Not only is the information incomplete and irrelevant to what I was seeking, the quality of print looked like someone copied it from a cheap printer and then made a book out of it. I guess it can serve at least one purpose when I go camping...as a fire starter.

I expected something that looked like the original Handbook. This document contains the text only, without and photos or drawing. If I had known what it really is, I never would have bought it.

the 1911 edition of the boy scout handbook is an amazing product . however this is only the way you see it. if you look at it as a replica, then yes. for the ads,diagrams,and print are accurate to the original. however as a manual itself is another story. it lacks diagrams and often leads the reader to imagine how this should be done. however this being it still is a very good read. i can't put mine down!

This is a great book showing the scout perspective. The other half is the Handbook For Scout Masters 1914 recently reprinted. The two show both sides of the picture and are both funny from their angle.

Lot of info is out of date here, such as their dietary and first aid, but that is what makes it fun.

Superb book. In the world we live in there is constant change, this book demonstrates that somethings are timeless.