The Handbook’s 8th Edition Brings Big Changes to Scout Skills

The eighth edition of the Boy Scout Handbook was first published in 1972, and was the handbook in publication when Distinguished Eagle Scout Gerald R. Ford became the first Eagle Scout to serve as President of the United States.

This version of the handbook brought significant content changes in an effort to better serve America’s youth in the 1970s. The scope of skills in the handbook was broadened to include situations Scouts could encounter in both the wilderness and in the city. This edition included general communication, family living, and community living sections in its revised contents, equipping Scouts with skills they could use in everyday life.

The eighth edition also introduced Lord Baden-Powell’s international Scout handclasp. Now, Scouts from all over the world could establish an immediate bond with this common gesture.

While the artist of this handbook’s first cover remains unknown, the sketch on the first three printings of the handbook make the eighth edition the only handbook that doesn’t have a complete cover picture. The remainder of the eighth edition printings exhibit Joseph Csatari’s “All Out for Scouting” across the cover. Csatari’s painting depicts a band of Scouts prepared for a plethora of outdoor adventures.

At a Glance: The Scout Handbook, Eighth Edition

• In Publication: 1972-1979
• Cover artwork: Cover 1—artist unknown; Cover 2—Joseph Csatari
• Author: Frederick L. Hines
• Copies: 3,700,000
• Trivia:  The eighth edition of the handbook was introduced the same year the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) was formed.

Follow BSA’s official Instagram feed each week to discover past editions of the Boy Scout Handbook as we work our way up to the 13th edition! We’ll also feature awesome Scouting gear of the past, courtesy of the National Scouting Museum. If you missed last week’s Scouting history lesson, you can catch up here.

What kind of Scout skills do you use in everyday life? Tell us in the comments below!

For more information on the history of the Boy Scout Handbook, check out the outstanding work done by Troop 97 in Fort Collins, CO, which is a member of the Longs Peak Council.