Baden-Powell had served in the British Army between 1876 and 1910 in both India and Africa, during which time he wrote a number of manuals on military reconnaissance and scout training.  On his return from Africa in 1903, Baden-Powell found that his publication Aids to Scouting was being used by teachers and youth organisations.

Deciding to re-write the book to suit a younger audience, having initiated the first Scout camp with 20 boys on Brownsea Island in 1907 with the aim of testing the various ideas and methods he had formulated, Scouting for Boys: a handbook for instruction in good citizenship was published in 1908. The manual contained sections on woodcraft, camping, physical fitness and honour, with advice to adult organisers. One of his enthusiastic supporters was the newspaper magnate, C. Arthur Pearson, and the work was first published in fortnightly parts with great success.
The ‘complete edition, revised and illustrated’ of Scouting for Boys was issued in the middle of 1908 and was dedicated to the two eldest sons of the Prince of Wales (later King George V). This is a copy of the 8th edition, printed in 1916.

From the original camp at Brownsea, the Scout Movement grew to a worldwide organisation of almost 2.5 million Boy Scouts and 1.25 million Girl Guides and Scouts by the time that Baden-Powell received the Order of Merit in King George VI’s Coronation Honours in 1937.