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BOY SCOUT TROOP 33
First Lutheran Church - DeKalb IL

Scout Handbook 3rd Edition


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BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK
3rd Edition 1927-1940

      - COVER

      - TABLE OF CONTENTS

      - PRINTING HISTORY


The 3rd Edition cover art was by artist Norman Rockwell, 1929 Brown & Bigelow Scout calendar painting, entitled "Spirit of America" (painted in 1927).

There were 6,500,000 copies printed of the 3rd edition between 1927 and 1940.

The five-millionth copy of the Boy Scout Handbook was presented to President Franklin Roosevelt.

"Always an Adventure"















BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK


3rd Edition —
Revised Handbook for Boys (1927-1940)

3rd Edition cover art by Norman Rockwell, 1929 Brown & Bigelow Scout calendar painting, entitled "Spirit of America" (painted in 1927). It featured the profile of a Scout in campaign hat and red neckerchief against a blue background containing the profiles of American heroes (Lincoln, Washington, Ben Franklin, Teddy Roosevelt, a frontiersman, an Indian, and Charles Lindbergh, who had just completed his famous flight). Lindbergh replaced a conquistador between the initial sketching and final painting. The silver cover appeared on about 5000 copies of the 21st printing to commemorate the five-millionth copy of the Handbook. The back cover had a US Tire ad in printings 1-5, 12, and 14-32. The back cover for printings 6-11 and 13 had no ad, but a First Class badge.

3rd Edition Cover  1927-1940 Handbook Cover

3rd Edition Silver Cover (21st printing special)  5,000 copies printed with silver covers in 1935.



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Actual 3rd Edition
TABLE OF CONTENTS

3rd Edition

  • Part I—What is Scouting?
    I. What is a Boy Scout?
    II. A Dad's Eye View of Scouting
    III. Joining The Boy Scouts of America
    IV. The Scout "Good Turn"
  • Part II—How to Become a Tenderfoot Scout
    I. The Tenderfoot Requirements
    II. The Scout Uniform
    III. The Scout Troop and Patrol [later combined with chapter II as "Your Scout and Patrol", a typo that should have read "Your Scout Patrol and Troop"]
    IV. Hiking
    V. How to Pass Scout Tests
  • Part III—How to Become a Second Class Scout
    I. The Second Class Requirements
         Animal Tracking
         Signs, Symbols and Trailing
    II. The Manners of a Scout
    III. How to Make Fire Without Matches
  • Part IV—How to Become a First Class Scout
    I. Life Saving, Water Accidents and Swimming
    II. The First Class Requirements
    III. Woodcraft
         Trees
         Birds
         Animals
         Stars
  • Part V—Merit Badge Progress
    I. Finding One's Life Work
    II. Star—Life—Eagle Awards
         (1) How to Become a Star Scout
         (2)  How to Become a Life Scout
         (3)  How to Become an Eagle Scout
         (4)  Eagle Palm Awards
    III. The Merit Badges
    IV. How to Become a Veteran Scout
    V. How to Become a Scoutmaster
    VI. Scouting for Country Boys
    VII. Sea Scouting [later called Senior Scouting]
  • Part VI—Additional Scoutcraft
    I. Woodcraft
    II. Healthcraft
    III. Campcraft
    IV. Citizencraft
    V. Handicraft
    VI. Funcraft
  • Part VII—Appendix
    I. The Scouting Organization
    II. A Brief History of Scouting
    III. Index


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3rd Edition
PRINTING HISTORY

Combined Total for 3rd Edition

  • 1927-1940
  • 6,500,000 copies printed.
  • BSA later added 1 copy to the 3rd Edition to make the handbook grand total come out even (makes the grand total to the end of the 3rd Edition 6,500,000 instead of 6,499,999).

3rd Edition

  • title from title page—Revised Handbook for Boys, First Edition
  • by BSA Editorial Board & various experts (H. W. Hurt, Editor)
  • cover art by Norman Rockwell
  • 1927-1940 (13 years)
  • 3,507,129 copies printed (average 269,779 copies printed per year)
  • size 114x178x19 mm (4-1/2x7x3/4")
  • 32 printings:
    —1st printing (Nov 1927, 100,000 copies)—638 numbered pages
    —2nd printing (Nov 1927, 100,000 copies)—some with 638 pages & some 636
    —3rd printing (Dec 1927, 100,000 copies)—638 numbered pages
    —4th printing (Jan 1928, 100,000 copies)—638 numbered pages
    —5th printing (Jan 1928, 100,000 copies)—638 numbered pages
    —6th printing (Mar 1928, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —7th printing (Nov 1928, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —8th printing (Nov 1928, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —9th printing (Apr 1929, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —10th printing (Aug 1929, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —11th printing (Jan 1930, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —12th printing (Apr 1930, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —13th printing (Dec 1930, 100,000 copies)—650 numbered pages
    —14th printing (Mar 1931, 100,000 copies)—650 numbered pages
    —15th printing (Jun 1931, 100,000 copies)—646 numbered pages
    —16th printing (Apr 1932, 100,000 copies)—650 numbered pages
    —17th printing (Nov 1932, 100,000 copies)—650 numbered pages
    —18th printing (Jul 1933, 100,000 copies)—658 numbered pages
    —19th printing (Dec 1933, 100,000 copies)—658 numbered pages
    —20th printing (Sep 1934, 107,128 copies)—658 numbered pages
    (odd number of copies so that the next printing would be the 5,000,000th copy)
     —21st printing (Mar 1935, 100,000 copies)—658 numbered pages
    (approximately 5000 copies were printed with silver covers and had 4 extra pages to commemorate the presentation of the five-millionth copy to President Franklin Roosevelt)
     —22nd printing (Sep 1935, 100,000 copies)—658 numbered pages
    —23rd printing (Mar 1936, 100,000 copies)—660 numbered pages
    —24th printing (Oct 1936, 100,000 copies)—660 numbered pages
    —25th printing (Dec 1936, 100,000 copies)—668 numbered pages
    —26th printing (Mar 1937, 100,000 copies)—668 numbered pages
    —27th printing (Sep 1937, 100,000 copies)—668 numbered pages
    —28th printing (Feb 1938, 100,000 copies)—668 numbered pages
    —29th printing (Apr 1938, 100,000 copies)—668 numbered pages
    —30th printing (Nov 1938, 200,000 copies)—676 numbered pages
    —31st printing (Oct 1939, 200,000 copies)—676 numbered pages
    —Unknown (1 copy)—added later to make the grand total come to 6,500,000


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Troop 33 Scoutmaster
cliffgolden@yahoo.com