Oxford World's Classics: Scouting for Boys

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A startling amalgam of Zulu war-cry and Sherlock Holmes, this work is the original blueprint for the Boy Scout Movement. An all-time bestseller in the English-speaking world, it is one of the most influential manuals for youth ever published. This new critical edition includes all of Baden-Powell's original illustrations and offers a rich mix of true crime stories, moral lessons, adventure tales, natural history, first-aid tips, and advice on observation and tracking. Readers will encounter a pastiche of jingoist lore and tracker legend, interspersed with lengthy quotations from adventure fiction by authors like Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle, reflecting the anxieties of its time, including fears of degeneration and looming war. Alongside practical instructions on lighting fires and building boats, it covers themes of chivalry, self-discipline, self-improvement, and citizenship. The book embodies Baden-Powell's philosophy of prioritizing service, country, and duty over self. An introduction by Elleke Boehmer highlights its complexity, while her notes clarify obscure references. Despite being nearly a century old, this work continues to captivate and inspire readers today, appealing to those interested in popular culture, Victorian history, and children's literature.