Baden-Powell Books

Some of the information in this book may now be out of fashion and sometimes wrong, it is a great pleasure to read "Scouting for Boys". The ideals defended by B.P.: courage, generosity and compassion are as much a necessity today as they were a hundred years ago, when that book was first published.

The idea of an active, "hands on" education still find its echo in today's most recent education innovations.

Of course, the key message lies in the the initials of the author: Be Prepared!

Excellent book detailing the original , if somewhat dated thoughts , of the founder of the Scout Movement- Sir Robert Baden Powell. A must have read for all interetesed in the movement and it's principles

At the very beginning of the twentieth century, retired General Robert Baden-Powell, the hero of the siege of Mafeking, coalesced his ideas for an organization to train young British boys in scouting for the British Empire. Not a very organized thinker, Baden-Powell borrowed heavily from all sorts of unrelated resources - newspaper articles, military dispatches, fiction, and much more - and produced this, his first book on scouting. Originally published as six separate books, this book brings all of them together, complete with original illustrations.

Now, as might be expected from its roots, this book reflects a lot of the biases and ways of thinking from Edwardian England. But, leaving that aside, this is a fun and interesting book that shows clearly the forms that have stayed with the Boy Scouts movement to this very day. The introduction was written by Elleke Boehmer, a professor of Colonial and Postcolonial literature, and is a fairly predictable deconstruction/analysis of B-P and his movement.

Now, as a newcomer to Scouting (my son is a Tenderfoot) did I find anything useful in this book? I sure did. Robert Baden-Powell was very knowledgeable about the subject, and this book sure shows it. (I never thought of tying my shoes like that!) Of course some of the information is out of date, especially the first-aid information, so it isn't really usable by the boys "as is." But, this is a nice resource, one that shows you where Scouting started.

Oh, and I must say that I actually enjoyed the somewhat jumbled organization of this book. It isn't as scholarly and antiseptic as modern Boy Scout books, and the stories and tales laced throughout make the reading much more fun. Plus, I did find the focus on some subjects, such as logic and deductive reasoning, to be quite interesting. I loved this book, and highly recommend it to you!

I was an Eagle Scout as a boy, and now I'm the founding Scoutmaster of my sons' troop. As such, I was anxious to get a copy of this hard cover version. Baden-Powell's work is a classic and well worth the read. The problem with this edition is the Introduction by Elleke Boehmer. Without it, the book is a 5-star. Ms. Boehmer appears a non-believer. Reading her is like taking a pessimistic art critic along side while viewing an art gallery. Far more benefit (for all concerned) would occur without her input. For each positive she states about BP, she mentions a negative. She also spends just over two pages discussing homosexual tendencies (pp xxxii-xxxiii) within BP's works, something which is out of place in this work. I started to list several quotes, but I think one sums it up best of all from the back cover: "She has never been a scout, but she did once shake hands with Lady Baden-Powell at a jubilee celebration in South Africa." I guess that must make her an expert.

This original text of BP's "Scouting for Boys" is an excellent read. You can skip the introduction, however. The intro is a steaming pile of horse excrement written by someone seething with contempt for BP and the Boy Scout movement. Why it was included with the book is beyond me unless it's to provide bum fodder whilst camping. Remember, a scout is thrifty!

Avery Rover Scout over the world must read this book, and find what B.P. wanted to teach us about life...

"Rovering to Success" is the original handbook written by Baden-Powell for Rover Scouts, the most senior section of the Boy Scout Movement. Rovers are Scouts over the age of 18 (in Canada the mandate is age 18-26). This book is NOT intended for children aged 9-12.

Rovering to Success is probably not meant for readership in the age group of 9-12 as indicated. It is intended for Young Adults ages 17-25 (though age group for rovering varies with region and countries). It is a fundamental reading for all Rovers and aspirants. Should also consider reading "Scouting for Boys" and "The Man who lived Twice".

Rovering To Success on first glance appears to be an outmoded, elderly text that invites ridicule and giggling at the language used, but if the reader can look past the idioms of the period it was written, and see the fundamental concepts behind what Baden-Powell is saying, then it quickly becomes an excellent guide for young people who want to live a fulfilling and adventurous lifestyle. It also provides an interesting historical reference.

In this book I've founded the real hero man history, that gave the world the biggest youth movement.Is really a wonderfull read.

Jeal has written an authoritative and well researched biography of the Chief Scout of the World.

His style is extremely readable and he seeks to avoid conclusions. He treats the rumors of BP being a homosexual openly (the rumors, not BP). His biography is overall very positive but not fawning. I highly recommend it to any Scout leader.

I suppose I should say, just in case anyone has wandered here looking for a book of camp-fire songs, that the Baden Powell here is not the founder of the Boy Scouts (although named after him): he is Roberto Baden Powell de Aquino (1937-2000), the prolific and virtuosic Brazilian guitarist. In fact, this is not properly a songbook at all, since it comprises only instrumentals.

It is one of three volumes of guitar pieces, Volume 1 being here. Volume 3 is, as I write, not listed here but is listed by Amazon UK. The contents of this volume are:

Babel
Deve ser Amor
Maritima
E de Lei
Tempo feliz
Acalanto das Nonas
Valse Nº 1
Retrato Brasileiro
Chará
Fim de Linha
Ultimo Porto (II)

The transcriptions are painstaking and (as far as I can make out) extremely accurate.

Some of these numbers require percussion or other accompaniment for best effect; others, such as "Acalanto das Nonas" and "Retrato Brasileiro" make extremely effective solos.

These pieces are of course not for beginners -- but if you're familiar with Baden Powell, you already knew that.

Staff notation only.

I suppose I should say, just in case anyone has wandered here looking for a book of camp-fire songs, that the Baden Powell here is not the founder of the Boy Scouts (although named after him): he is Roberto Baden Powell de Aquino (1937-2000), the prolific and virtuosic Brazilian guitarist. In fact, this is not properly a songbook at all, since it comprises only instrumentals.

It is one of three volumes of guitar pieces, Volume 2 being here. Volume 3 is, as I write, not listed here but is listed by Amazon UK. The contents of this volume are:

Sentimentos
Consolação
Canto de Xango
Tema Triste
Petite Valse
O Cego Alderaldo
Só Por Amor
Valsa Sem Nome
Insonia

The transcriptions are painstaking and (as far as I can make out) extremely accurate, except that the key signature for "Valsa Sem Nome" should not be one flat but zero flats, as the fingering makes clear (B on open 2nd string in the first full bar).

Some of these numbers require percussion or other accompaniment for best effect; others make extremely effective solos, the aforementioned waltz particularly so.

These pieces are of course not for beginners -- but if you're familiar with Baden Powell, you already knew that.

Staff notation only.

It's one of the cardinal beliefs of the Darwin Legend that prior to the publication of the Origin, there was scarcely any acquaintance with evolution theory among England's scientists or the general public, let alone any favorable opinion. Huxley, Wallace, and George Romanes strongly endorsed this belief as part of their hallelujah to Darwin's originality. In this they followed Darwin, who expressed the same opinion, claiming that although he had talked with many naturalists, never had he found anyone who endorsed evolution. He insisted on this view despite two pre-Origin evolutionists who publicly offered their own defense of evolution as proof to the contrary. More amazing still, he didn't revise his spurious claim to originality, in the closing chapter of Origin, even after he had added, in the 3rd edition, a lengthy statement on transmutation theory prior to the publication of his book.

The articulate response to the Origin clearly exposes the error. In his outstanding study, A Victorian Sensation, James Secord documents the spread of awareness of `transmutation' as England responded to the anonymously published Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844). The present study performs a like service for the period 1820-1860. His focal character, Baden Powell, was Savilian professor of geometry at Oxford from the mid-1820s until his death in 1860. Corsi tracks a progression from Baden Powell's initial apologetics, concerned with reconciling faith and reason, to complete abandonment of any ascription of literal truth to Scripture. What remains is Unitarianism. This position had been available in post-Cromwell England, when it was known as Latitudinarianism (also Deism). Indeed it was continuous among some clergy from that time. But Baden Powell came to it through his endeavor to integrate an evolutionary natural history with faith. Rather than writing an intellectual biography, Corsi uses Baden Powell's placement in English thought to describe the relevant intellectual culture.

England's encounter with transmutation was stimulated by the reception of French evolutionary thought, which the author described in his outstanding study, The Age of Lamarck. One of the earliest expressions of transmutationism was the 1816 anatomical lectures of William Lawrence. J. H. Green in 1824 and Jones Quain in 1830 lectured at the College of Physicians on anatomy and physiology considered from an evolutionary point of view. During this time David Brewster, Robert Grant, and Robert Knox studied transmutationist natural history in France and brought it back with them. Corsi writes: `During the 1830s the debate on the succession of species through the ages of the earth became a central feature of the natural sciences. Awareness of French developments created great anxiety among British intellectuals, in particular the Christian apologists. It could indeed be argued that the first phase of the debate on species in Britain represented the reaction to new trends in French science' (p. 228). One such response was Peter Mark Roget's Animal and Vegetable Creation Considered with Reference to Natural Theology 1834. Roget endorsed Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire's theory of unity of composition and endorsed Serres-Tiedemann theory of embryonic recapitulation of evolutionary phylogenesis. Yet he maintained that species were immutable--clearly a precarious position.

Corsi is in agreement with Secord that the anonymous publication of the Vestiges introduced a strong stimulus to scholarly natural history as well as exciting enormous public interest. The book innovated by arguing the case for natural history uncompromised by any concessions to religious doctrine and by setting out the story, beginning with the nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system, and continuing to the origin and evolution of life, including the primate origin of the human species. The author, Robert Chambers, endorsed non-catastrophic continuous variation in the geological record and rejected the interpretation of the fossil record which showed long periods of stasis interrupted by sudden introduction of new species. This was the dominant view among French authors; and it was adopted by Darwin. The theological question Chambers resolved by opting for a superintending Providence that set natural laws and then did not intervene. (This is basically the Cartesian-Spinozist position at the basis of Deism). Corsi states: `the question of species was discussed with full awareness of the epistemological, cosmological and theological issues involved . . . the question of species became the highly publicized ground for the confrontation between those who believed that nature was governed by laws, and those who insisted on the continuous intervention of God in natural and human affairs'. A canvass of the views of Whewell, Lyell, Brewster, Sedgwick and other leading lights shows the variety of positions taken to prevent slippage into the unbearable materialism that Chambers' position seemed to imply. Lyell is perhaps the most interesting of these authors because he wished avoid accepting species evolution, especially the natural origin of man (with its materialist implication) but at the same time wished to avoid acknowledging divine intervention anywhere in the natural scheme of things. That takes fancy footwork, including silences and evasion.

It's indicative of how much there is to learn about the history of evolutionary thought that so few science historians, let alone Neo-Darwinians, recognize Baden Powell's name and contributions. Yet he claimed to have forestalled Chambers' position and identified it with his own (p. 274). Corsi is to be commended and thanked for this outstanding contribution. But it's a pity that the Cambridge Press has priced the book out of the market.

Having read several biographies recently of Baden-Powell the founder of the World Scouting Movement. I must admit I prefer Freedman's little book to the larger and more authoritative works. Freedman writes with an easy style that makes reading a pleasure. The illustrations are original photos or B-P's own drawings, and add flavor to the text without being distracting. This is not a critical nor a comprehensive biography; it is a sympathetic treatment of Baden-Powell omitting any serious controversies and taking Baden-Powell's own writings at face value. It is a very good introduction to Baden-Powell for anyone with little or sketchy knowledge of "the Hero of Mafeking" and "Chief Scout of the World".

Like most biographers, he pays most attention to the time in South Africa (the Seige of Mafeking), and the founding of the Scouting movement. Still, we get a good picture of the mischievous student who prefered the woods and rivers to classrooms. We meet the wheeling-dealing soldier and sometime actor and dancer,in India, Afghanistan, South Africa, India again, and back to South Africa.

Freedman focuses on the story of the little town of Mafeking where BP's new regiment of fresh, untrained soldiers were surrounded by a much larger (3-4 times as large) group of better trained and equipped enemy soldiers for 217 days. For 217 days the clever leader Baden-Powell was creating new ways to bluff the enemy or to raise moral among the townspeople and soldiers as they slowly ran out of food. This is a celebration of Baden-Powell at his finest.

And after you are the toast of the entire British Empire, what do you do for an encore? Why you begin a new life and create the most successful youth movement in history. One can almost feel BP falling by accident into beginning the Scouting movement. You can feel his tentative excitement building as he realizes he has found, in the scouting teachings he had been developing in the cavalry, the key to young people's hearts and minds.

The end of the book moves very quickly, too quickly, from the founding of scouting, to his wedding and new family life, to the great world Jamborees, to his final days and burial in Africa.

I read this before I started Tim Jeal's and "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt's biographies of Baden-Powell. Please pardon me if I make some comparisons. This book is 218 pages of text compared to Jeal's 596 pages and Hillcourt's 417. Freedman, in acknowledging his souces, admits that he used 10 of B-P's books and many of his papers (inluding some not on exhibit), several periodicals, and 7 other related books from the Baden-Powell Library, as well as interviews with Mr Tabori of London about Scouting in the '30s. Jeal's book was 5 years in the making referring to 35 of B-P's books, about 220 other publications, many private collections of letters and papers, and uncounted interviews, culminating in nearly 50 pages of footnotes alone. Hillcourt wrote in collaboration with B-P's widow and refers to 65 of B-P's books and collections of papers, and unnumbered other books and volumes of private letters and papers, detailed in 24 pages of footnotes. Jeal was writing for an academic audience. Hillcourt was writing to a scholarly reader. Freedman appears to be writing for a secondary school audience. And I highly recommend this one for all but the serious student of Baden-Powell.

I would give this book the highest recommendation for senior Scouts and Scout Leaders. Others who would thoroughly enjoy it would be militry history buffs, those interested in South African history, the Boer Wars, and those interested in the late 19th century England.

From this book you get a real since of who BP was, why he materialized into what he became, his passion, and why he was not only Knighted, but granted the title of Lord.

Inspirational how a simple man - with cunny, wits, and wisdom lived two impressive careers, one in the British Military, one in Scouting. The book neatly discussed the cross-over of the two fields, and the how and why the military and scouting greatly differ in many aspects. The text flowed nicely, read easily, and was of appropriate length for reading within a few hours.

Robert S. S. Baden-Powell was a great man "out in the field". He was a
military genius of the British army in his time, and he brought his
ingenuity and experiences together at home for the boys of England
and founded the Boy Scouts. He is respectively referred to today as
the "Chief Scout of the World". This book tells you everything you
need to know about this particular"Hero"! Philip Loving

Having gone through almost the entire scouting program (from cub scouts, boy scouts, venture scouts, order of the arrow, and on to my eagle scout rank, philmont, national jamboree, and woodbadge leader training WE3-27-00) I never heard the whole story of Lord Baden-Powell. While attending woodbadge I was told of this book that was written by William Hillcourt (a.k.a. green bar bill)with the help of Olave, Lady Baden-Powell(his wife also founder of the girl scouts)and His mother. Green bar bill (Gbb) also wrote from knowing Lord Baden-Powell (B-P) and B-P own writting from his pamphlets, books, and notes. So in using first hand knowledge it was not weighed down with the fog that contimporary writers will place on their own books. I found it to be very delightful to read. B-P is the only person that I know of to be a true ledgend in his own time. B-P was not only a scouter but a spy, a british general, a writer,an artist among other things. He also knew famous people like Cecil Rhodes and Winston Churchill before their own fame. B-P really did live more than one life and he is certainly a hero.

Who would have thought that a general, who in his time achieved the same stature that Eisenhower did after World War II, would turn his attention when he was in his 50s to a completely new journey - and create a system to engage boys in purposeful fun at a time when so many were being offered only the mean streets of turn-of-the-century industrial England! Having recently returned from a trip to Kenya, where we visited Paxtu, B-P's last home, and his gravesite, we experienced a pilgrimage fulfilled. To see how this great man and his wife (who herself led the worldwide Girl Scout movement) lived in such simple, humble accommodations there, surrounded by their version of wealth - nature - provides a stark contrast to our end-of-the-century obsession with material wealth. This is about as good a read as it gets - whether you're involved in Scouting or not. I've used it as a gift for members of my Wood Badge patrol. The purchase price is worth every cent. Enjoy!

A thorough discussion of the history of the man that started the Scouting movement in Britain, which spread throughout the World. This book gives the background on the man and his morals, and inspires us all to do better in all we do.

I was thoroughly enchanted with this book as it added details to stories I already had read about. Having read just about everything about the man, it was nice to see a large volume like this. Written by someone who had first hand knowledge of B.P., it is somewhat less than objective in parts, however, any fan of this incredible hero will undoubtedly love it. It is a fairly easy read and one which holds a special place in my Scouting library.

Scouter Mike Reid Montreal, Canada

About a quarter of the way through this book, I was ready to toss it. I am glad I didn't. It suffers at times from mind-numbing detail and Jeal occasionally assumes knowledge I doubt most readers possess (particularly 19th century British military minutia). The pace is very slow through most of the book - not surprising considering the volume of information covered. And I do NOT recommend it as a first book on Baden-Powell! Tackle Russell Freedman's much more readable "Scouting With Baden-Powell" or spend a week with William "green Bar Bill" Hillcourt's long but less-scholarly "Baden-Powell The Two Lives of a Hero" (written with Olave Baden-Powell, the General's wife). But the reader looking for the most comprehensive and balanced treatment of Lord R.S.S. Baden-Powell should read this book. I have a much better feeling for and understanding of BP as result of reading this book.

The text is primarily chronological. However, when dealing with specific aspects in Baden-Powell's life, he sometimes discusses issues and recounts all the related incidents, which can be somewhat confusing because it interrupts the chronological flow. I found myself having to stop reading to put these "breakout" incidents into chronological synchronization with things already discussed.

The illustrations and photos are excellent. The photographs are grouped into three sections on higher quality paper. They will make little sense until you read the text referring to them. I really love BP's illustrations! They are sprinkled throughout the book (and in the original hardback edition called "The Boy-Man", are on the inside covers). The footnotes are copious but very difficult to use, numbered by section, not chapter, all at the end rather than at the foot of the pages and without referring page numbers, and many referring to documents by a code name which is keyed in a bibliographic section. The index was only marginally useful, rather short for such a large book, and limited in scope. I feel as though Jeal could have made this the seven-volume "Compleat Life Of Baden-Powell" had he wished. At times, while reading this book, I wished he had (and at other times this thought sent chills down my spine).

The thing that put me off was Jeal's amateur psycho-analysis of the inner "Stephe". This permeates the book and distracts from the narrative. Perhaps in reaction to the slanderous assertions of other biographers, Jeal asserts that BP was a repressed homosexual. I found most of his arguments unpersuasive and reject this suggestion. He also implied that many Guide leaders were lesbians. Since his evidence of this was sketchy at best, I found it distracting. Yet he did not go into detail about the trials of Oscar Wilde and the resulting intolerance of homosexuality, which is important to the context of this issue. Another example of this unfortunate tendency of pseudo-psychology is in the epilogue ("Curbing the Beast and Reclaiming the Child"). Jeal suddenly begins discussing a darker side of Baden-Powell that was barely hinted at in the rest of the book. He attributes this darker BP to repressed childhood anger and a "lost childhood". It felt as if this was added on in the epilogue because he needed to say something about it and had neglected it through the rest of the text. These forays into psychology are the greatest weakness of this book.

Jeal's discussion of the Seige of Mafeking is nuanced. His treatment of Baden-Powell is obviously sympathetic, yet he also wants to show BP "warts and all." Jeal digs into the letters and diaries of not only Baden-Powell and his family, but even BP's officers and their families. As the book goes on, he relies more and more on interviews with people who were there, which gives the text a ring of authenticity that I did not find in other BP biographies. (For instance, he lists the inhabitants of Outspan in BP's last days as a result of an interview with one of the employees.)

In the later sections of the book, the detail is again dense and Jeal returns to psycho-analysis, but it does not (to me) seem as heavy-handed as in the beginning of the book (until the epilogue). I had not appreciated the conflicts and fitful starts of the early Scouting movement, and the power struggles that nearly wrecked it. I was dredfully ignorant of his home life and last years. I think Jeal was harsh with the two primary women in BP's life: his mother and wife. He paints both of them as unscrupulously domineering and cold. But his treatment of the end of BP's life is poignant and tender.

He addresses issues raised by other biographers and explains how he believes they are wrong based on documents and interviews in the five years he worked on this massive tome. I found this very interesting, but would rather have these things dealt with in their own chapter near the end, rather than scattered through the text. An example of this is his treatments of militarism in the early years of the movement and BP's opinions of the Fascist leaders Mussolini and Hitler.

The question of militarism could have been better addressed. The concerns and fears that the youth of the British Empire were weak and needed character building were concerns and fears felt around the world at that time. There were other similar organizations rising around the world at the same time. Jeal did not address the massive changes around the world from 1850 to 1950. The world had turned on its head economically (the rise of the middle classes and rich merchant barons, and the reaping of colonial economies), industrially (invention and commercialization of automobiles, airplanes, etc.), religiously ("Awakenings", new religious movements such as Mormonism, Christian Science, and the Salvation Army, and wide-spread atheism), politically (National Socialism and Communism) - in nearly every way. People were grasping for something larger than themselves to save them from being lost in the changing world. Jeal could have done more to place the events, particularly after the founding of the movement, into a context larger than the British Empire. He relates the world-wide travels of BP, but (with exception of the US) does not go into much detail on BP's relationships with Scouting organizations in other countries.

My conclusion from this book is that Baden-Powell was an ordinary man upon whom was thrust greatness. The picture that emerges is a complex man. BP was a social climber, not a good student, at times flighty, and a bit of a clown. He would take others' ideas to enrich his own. He was not above stretching the truth if it would make a better yarn around the campfire (or in a book). He was a man with feet of clay. He was an idealist. His concern for young people was quite genuine. He tried his best to be the role model for the movement. He created the greatest youth movement ever seen, almost without wanting to. He breathed into it the Soul of Scouting, which carried it around the world. He indeed did his best to do his duty to his country and all the Scouts of the world.

An excellent read. I was impressed at the volume of information Jeal had at his disposal in researching the book. With all the references he had I cannot but think that this book IS the definitive history of Baden-Powell. Yes the book does raise some controversial questions about Baden-Powell but Jeal does not attempt to label Baden-Powell in any way; instead presenting to the reader facts from people close to Baden-Powell including extracts from Baden-Powells own diaries. The reader can draw their own conclusions. I found Jeals book to be an excellent read and an wonderful insight into the life and culture that existed during Baden-Powells life, and in particular, his army career. The worldwide Scouting movement owes Baden-Powell so much and I think every scout leader should read this book. I did!

Tim Jeal was given unrestricted access to the unrivalled family archive by the great-nephew Mr. Francis Baden-Powell. There are many pictures in this book that cannot be found anywhere else. Tim Jeal spent five years of research prior to writing this book. There are FIVE pages of acknowledgements which include, British Scout Association, Mr. J L Tarr (Chief Scout Executive of BSA) and numerous other sources. Mr Jeal was born in 1945. He attended Westminster School and Christ Church in Oxford. His previous biography of David Livingstone was honored by the literary editors of The New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in north London with his wife and three daughters. Tim Jeal was cognizant of the gap that existed in Lord Baden-Powell's not having a full and objective biography. He spent five years on research. He was able to obtain unique access to people who knew Baden-Powell and to a huge amount of unstudied private papers of Lord Baden-Powell. This is an EXCELLENT book and the many references from Baden-Powell's Diaries and Letters give candid and honest information that cannot be found anywhere else. A must read for those who are interested in having access to information not normally available and making up their own minds.

Actually the full title of this book is Baden-Powell, The Boy-Man. This is a well researched but dry treastie of the founder of Scouting. You get the strong sense that Juel knows very little of Scouting and was writing the book more from the point of having been a fellow military officer. What is sad however is that Juel seems to be taking part in a relatively recent phenomenon in our culture to shatter our hero figures. We now know George Washington did not really cut down the Cherry tree and Abe Lincoln was manic depressive. Juel want's everyone to know that B-P had his faults as well. In much the same vein that some historian muckrakers spend their time in an effort at character assination, Juel has devoted the thrust of his effort into a character assination of B-P. Anyone who is interested in Baden-Powell could find many other books in print that are far more readable than this one (Green Bar Bill Hillcourt's Two Lives of a Hero comes to mind and it is available right here on Amazon). Despite its relatively recent release the book flopped and was quickly discontinued, Scouters would not waste time or money reading it, scout shops would not carry it, and it is, after all, a dull and uninspired effort at best. The Boy Man & the Character Factory (by Rosenthal) are two B-P Books Scouters would do well to skip.