1920's Bushcraft book for Scouts

[Chigger]

Came across this on another forum and this ebook appears to be in the public domain.

Aimed at young boy scouts during the 1920's and is a seris of essays on bushcraft, firelighting techniques, cooking and such subjects. Very American in outlook and content but still interesting to see attitudes and the way of doing things in that era.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Camp-Lore and Woodcraft, by Dan Beard.

www.gutenberg.org

 

[Wentworth]

Good find Chigger, I had a browse and there's a lot covered.
The presentation style and illustrations remind me of Mors Kochanski's book, which came much later.
There a lot of hidden gems on Project Gutenberg.

 

[Chigger]

Yes I had a browse and certainly can see the origin of many of the fire lighting, slow matches, sulphur punksticks and the rest there. That fellow wrote the book in the 1920s when he was older but as a young man in the 1880's or earlier there still would have been Kentucky backwoodsmen, native Red Indians and other such pioneer folk about.

So as a historical read a wealth of early lore.

Noted that flint and steel techniques were still used for lighting pipes, cigars, cigarettes even when matches were freely avaliable.

Wounder what young people in the scouts of today would make of it. Am sure there would be good information for them.

Did you see the twisty damper on a stick over the fire ?? Girl Guides do that now.