The Handbook’s Fourth Edition Guided Scouts’ Duty to Country

Our study of handbooks though history brings us to the Handbook for Boys, Fourth Edition this week, as we discover Scouting in the 1940s!

Similarly, to its predecessor, the fourth edition of the handbook is officially titled, The Revised Handbook for Boys, First Edition, although “First Edition” was removed in later printings.

The cover of the fourth edition featured Norman Rockwell’s “The Scouting Trail,” and depicts a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Sea Scout out on a trek.  The artist’s relationship with BSA was progressing and this was Rockwell’s sophomore rendering for a Boy Scout Handbook cover.

Many Scouts carried this version of the handbook as they worked tirelessly to help their communities and support their country throughout the years of the Second World War.  During this time, Scouts distributed defense bond posters, collected recyclables, planted victory gardens, volunteered for the American Red Cross, and assisted the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization, demonstrating their Duty to Country.

At a Glance: Fourth Edition, Boy Scouts of America Handbook for Boys

• In Publication: 1940-1948
• Cover artwork: Norman Rockwell
• Author: BSA Editorial Board
• Copies: 3,645,000
• Cost: 50 cents
• Trivia:  Within a year of the fourth edition’s release, the Webelos rank was established for transitioning Cub Scouts.

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.

Have you used any retro Boy Scout Handbooks? Tell us which editions you’ve read in the comments!

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.