HOME—BSA Handbooks & Handbook Covers—Scout Handbook—3rd & 4th Editions

The Scout Handbook, 1910-Today (continued)

3rd & 4th Editions—Revised Handbook for Boys (1927-1948)

3rd Edition cover art by Norman Rockwell, 1929 Brown & Bigelow Scout calendar painting "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.

4th Edition cover art (below) by Norman Rockwell, 1939 Brown & Bigelow Scout calendar painting "The Scouting Trail," featuring a Cub Scout, Boy Scout with pack (and red neckerchief), and Sea Scout against a green background. All back covers had a US Tire ad.

This truly revised handbook was the first major rewriting of the Handbook and was a massive improvement over the earlier editions. It could be called the first modern Handbook and does not differ too much in layout or content from recent editions, except for the lack of color printing. Many collectors consider all printings of the Revised Handbook to be a single edition. Others consider the last seven printings to be a separate edition, because the 1940 handbook had a new cover and contained major revisions.

The early printings are the only Handbooks ever to discuss and recommend military drill for Scouts (the Handbook for Scoutmasters of this era devotes an entire chapter to it and recommends drill according to the US Army Infantry Drill Regulations for "five or ten minutes ... each meeting ... to keep up the morale of the troop"). Scouts of this period were supposed to learn 17 individual commands and 25 patrol and troop movements, all of which were deemed essential to good order, not only during meetings and in parades, but even on hikes. Ironically, Baden-Powell, Scouting's founder and a retired army General, strongly recommended against military drill for Scouts.

The later printings of the 3rd Edition are the first to tell Scouts how to wear a neckerchief properly (neckerchiefs were optional until about the early 1920s). The 3rd Edition for some reason does not discuss lost procedures (the 8th Edition also omits procedures for being lost in the woods). Both the 3rd and 4th Editions list only eight planets in our solar system; although Pluto was discovered in 1930, it took the BSA several printings and more than a decade to add it to the Handbook's planet table.

The later printings of the 3rd Edition finally correct the misinformation about puberty discussed above; at the same time, the book adds a brief discussion of wet dreams. About this time, the BSA changed the explanation about alcohol. Early 3rd Edition printings correctly label alcohol a depressant, but later ones, along with all 4th Edition printings, call it a stimulant, which, in spite of appearances, it is not.

All printings except the special 21st printing of 1935 (BSA 25th anniversary & the 5-millionth handbook) had green type instead of black (the 21st printing had black type, like all other handbooks before and since).

3rd & 4th Editions Summary and Printing History

Combined Total for 3rd/4th Editions
As evidenced by the continuous numbering of the official printings, these two "Editions" are truly a single book.

• 1927-1948 (21 years)
• 7,152,129 copies printed (average 340,577 copies printed per year)
• 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), and they later added 785,000 copies to the 4th Edition for unaccounted overruns
• 39 printings

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, Nov 1927 1st printing not listed on printing page
  —2nd printing (Nov 1927, 100 000 copies)—some with 638 numbered pages & some with 636 numbered pages, Nov 1927 1st & 2nd printings listed on printing page
  —3rd printing (Dec 1927, 100 000 copies)—638 numbered pages, 3rd printing listed on printing page
  —4th printing (Jan 1928, 100 000 copies)—638 numbered pages, 4th printing listed on printing page
  —5th printing (Jan 1928, 100 000 copies)—638 numbered pages, 5th printing listed incorrectly on printing page as March 1928 (corrected in next printing)
  —6th printing (Mar 1928, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 6th printing listed on printing page
  —7th printing (Nov 1928, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 7th printing listed on printing page
  —8th printing (Nov 1928, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 8th printing listed incorrectly on printing page as January 1929 (corrected in next printing)
  —9th printing (Apr 1929, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 9th printing listed on printing page
  —10th printing (Aug 1929, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 10th printing listed on printing page
  —11th printing (Jan 1930, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 11th printing listed on printing page
  —12th printing (Apr 1930, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 12th printing listed on printing page
  —13th printing (Dec 1930, 100 000 copies)—650 numbered pages, 13th printing listed on printing page
  —14th printing (Mar 1931, 100 000 copies)—650 numbered pages, 14th printing listed on printing page
  —15th printing (Jun 1931, 100 000 copies)—646 numbered pages, 15th printing listed on printing page
  —16th printing (Apr 1932, 100 000 copies)—650 numbered pages, 16th printing listed on printing page
  —17th printing (Nov 1932, 100 000 copies)—650 numbered pages, 17th printing listed on printing page
  —18th printing (Jul 1933, 100 000 copies)—658 numbered pages, 18th printing listed on printing page
  —19th printing (Dec 1933, 100 000 copies)—658 numbered pages, 19th printing listed on printing page
  —20th printing (Sep 1934, 107 128 copies)—658 numbered pages, 20th printing listed on printing page (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, 21st printing listed on printing page (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, 22nd printing listed on printing page (some copies had an ad on the back cover and some had a First Class badge)
  —23rd printing (Mar 1936, 100 000 copies)—660 numbered pages, 23rd printing listed on printing page
  —24th printing (Oct 1936, 100 000 copies)—660 numbered pages, 24th printing listed on printing page
  —25th printing (Dec 1936, 100 000 copies)—668 numbered pages, 25th printing listed on printing page
  —26th printing (Mar 1937, 100 000 copies)—668 numbered pages, 26th printing listed on printing page
  —27th printing (Sep 1937, 100 000 copies)—668 numbered pages, 27th printing listed on printing page
  —28th printing (Feb 1938, 100 000 copies)—668 numbered pages, 28th printing listed on printing page
  —29th printing (Apr 1938, 100 000 copies)—668 numbered pages, 29th printing listed on printing page
  —30th printing (Nov 1938, 200 000 copies)—676 numbered pages, 30th printing listed on printing page (some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies)
  —31st printing (Oct 1939, 200 000 copies)—676 numbered pages, 31st printing listed on printing page (some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies)
  —32nd printing (May 1940, 200 000 copies)—676 numbered pages, 32nd printing listed on printing page (some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies)
  —Unknown (1 copy)—added later by BSA to make grand total of all Boy Scout Handbooks come to 6,500,000

4th Edition

• continuation of 3rd Edition:
• title from title page—Revised Handbook for Boys, First Edition (printings 33-36)
• Revised Handbook for Boys (printings 37-39)
• cover art by Norman Rockwell
• 1940-1948 (8 years)
• 3,645,000 copies printed (average 455,625 copies printed per year)
• size 114x178x19 mm (4-1/2x7x3/4") [printings 33-36]
• size 105x168x19 mm (4-1/8x6-5/8x3/4") [printings 37-39]
• 7 printings:
  —33rd printing (1st printing of 4th Edition) (Dec 1940, 400 000 copies)—680 numbered pages (+16 color pages at front), some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —34th printing (2nd printing of 4th Edition) (Dec 1941, 400 000 copies)—680 numbered pages (+16 color pages at front), some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —35th printing (3rd printing of 4th Edition) (Dec 1942, 400 000 copies)—680 numbered pages (+16 color pages at front), some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —36th printing (4th printing of 4th Edition) (Dec 1943, 400 000 copies)—608 numbered pages (some with 16 color pages at front; most with 8 color pages at front plus 4 more between pages 64 & 65), some ads appeared in only 100 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —37th printing (5th printing of 4th Edition) (Sep 1944, 420 000 copies)—570 numbered pages (+6 black & white pages at front), some ads appeared in only 105 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by no stars or 2 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page) (size reduced and color eliminated as part of the war effort)
  —38th printing (6th printing of 4th Edition) (Sep 1945, 420 000 copies)—570 numbered pages (+6 black & white pages between pages 46 & 47), some ads appeared in only 105 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —39th printing (7th printing of 4th Edition) (Jun 1946, 420 000 copies)—570 numbered pages (+6 black & white pages between pages 46 & 47), some ads appeared in only 105 000 copies (the four variants are distinguishable by 1 to 4 stars appearing at the bottom of the last page)
  —Unknown (785,000 copies)—added later by BSA to account for overrun copies never counted

Actual 3rd & 4th Editions 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

4th Edition

• Part I—What is Scouting?
  I. What is a Boy Scout?
  II. The Boy Scouts of America
  III. The "Good Turn" and Knighthood
• Part II—The Trail to Tenderfoot Rank
  IV. How to Become A Tenderfoot Scout
  V. Your Patrol Belongs to You
  VI. Getting on the Team
  VII. Let's Go on a Hike
  VIII. Every Scout's Chance to Advance
  IX. The Scout Troop in Action
  X. Some Special Scouting Opportunities
• Part III—The Trail to Second Class Rank
  XI. How to Become a Second Class Scout
       Animal Tracking [removed in later printings]
       Signs, Symbols and Trail Marks [removed in later printings]
  XII. The Manners of a Scout
  XIII. How to Make Fire Without Matches
  XIV. Merit Badges for Second Class Scouts [later added "and Air Scout Candidate"]
• Part IV—The Trail to First Class Rank
  XV. How to Become a First Class Scout
       Trees [removed in later printings]
       Birds [removed in later printings]
       Animals [removed in later printings]
       Stars [removed in later printings]
       Service [added in later printings]
       Swimming [added in later printings]
       Thrift [added in later printings]
       Signaling [added in later printings]
       Round Trip [added in later printings]
       First Aid [added in later printings]
       Cooking [added in later printings]
       Mapmaking [added in later printings]
       Axemanship [added in later printings]
       Judging [added in later printings]
       Nature Study [added in later printings]
       Service [added in later printings]
       Recruiting and Training [added in later printings]
  XVI. Life Saving
• Part V—Merit Badge Progress
  XVII. The Merit Badge Program—an Open Door
  XVIII. Finding One's Life Work
  XIX. Life, Star, Eagle Awards [typo, later corrected to "Star, Life, Eagle Awards"]
  XX. Senior Scouting
  XXI. Once a Scout—Always a Scout
• Part VI—Additional Woodcraft [early printings]; Additional Scoutcraft [later printings]
  XXII. Woodcraft [removed in lated printings]
  XXIII. Health Secrets
  XXIV. Camping
  XXV. Citizenship
  XXVI. Handicraft
  XXVII. Fun From Games, Songs, Books
• Appendix
  A. The Scouting Movement [removed in later printings]
  B. Brief History of Scouting
  C. Merit Badge Requirements
  D. Index [removed from table of contents in later printings]

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Last Revision to This Page: 26 July 2016
Text copyright © 1980, 1990, 1999 by Jeff Snowden
Web format © 1996-2016 by Troop 97 BSA
Handbook pictures copyright © by Boy Scouts of America