The American Boy's Handy Book

Daniel Carter Beard was a pioneer of the scouting movement in America and his great passion was making boys and girls feel at home in nature, to allow them to experience its wonders while fostering their sense of self-sufficiency and independence. Among his books are The American Boy¿s Handy Book (1882), The Field and Forest Handy Book (1906), and The Book of Camp-Lore & Woodcraft (1920). His two sisters, Lina and Adelia Beard, were also active in scouting (as well as the women¿s rights movement) and helped create the Campfire Girls. The two wrote The American Girl¿s Handy Book (1893).

Camp, explore, hike, discover, learn woodcraft—get outdoors and be at home in nature all through the year! There’s so much to do and discover with this truly Handy Book as a guide. Written for children in 1882, and valuable for kids or adults today, the author suggests projects, crafts, plans, games, and schemes for camping trips, hikes, or the backyard. It contains plans for 16 kinds of kites and hot-air balloons and fishing tackle, how to make and stock an aquarium, to construct a water telescope and how to camp out without a tent. Or in a hut made from pine boughs. How to build 10 kinds of boats, including a flatboat with a covered cabin. Iceboats, too. Squirt guns with astonishing range and authority. One-person canoes. Bird calls. Learn to teach a dog to retrieve. And much more. Daniel Carter Beard was a founder of the scouting movement in America and wanted kids to enjoy the out-of-doors as much as he did. In his books, Beard helped preserve invaluable folkways that can instill self-reliance and a deeper appreciation of nature—all while having a world of fun. This is truly a book for all ages—including adults.