Official Handbook for Boys

Over 31 million copies of the Official Handbook for Boys have been distributed since this first edition was published in 1911. The original Boy Scout Handbook standardized American scouting and emphasized the virtues and qualifications for scouting, delineating what the American Boy Scouts declared was needed to be a “well-developed, well-informed boy.” The book includes information on the organization of scouting, signs and signaling, camping, scouting games, and a description of several scouting honors. Scouts past and present will be fascinated to see how scouting has changed in the ensuing years, and how it has stayed the same.