Boy Scout Handbook

Scouts BSA Handbook
Cover of the 12th edition
AuthorBoy Scouts of America
LanguageEnglish
Publication date
1910, 1st edition
2020, 14th edition
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN978-0-8395-3102-9
OCLC302189421
369.43 22
LC ClassHS3313 .B69 2009
TextScouts BSA Handbook at Wikisource

Scouts BSA Handbook is the official handbook of Scouts BSA, published by the Boy Scouts of America. It is a descendant publication of Baden-Powell's original handbook, Scouting for Boys, which has been the basis for Scout handbooks in many countries, with some variations to the text of the book depending on each country's codes and customs.

The handbook opens by introducing the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout Motto, and the Scout Slogan of BSA. There are currently two editions of the Scouts BSA Handbook, one for girls and one for boys, but other than photographs, the content is essentially the same.

The original edition of the BSA handbook was based on Baden-Powell's work. Ernest Thompson Seton combined his Woodcraft manual, the Birch Bark Rolls, with Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys. Subsequent works were done by other authors. William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt wrote the 6th, 7th, and 9th editions. Frederick L. Hines wrote the 8th, and Robert Birkby the 10th, 11th and 12th editions.[1]

  1. ^ Editions: Boy Scout Handbook by Boy Scouts of America. LibraryThing. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2011.