Camp Cachalot Alumni Association Forums

[Dennis Wilkinson]

When I made my last book-related post I didn't think I'd be making another, but, well, here I am.

I've collected old Scout Handbooks, Fieldbooks, and the like for a long time. I'm not a "collector collector"--I'm not interested in having one copy of every printing of every handbook ever made, I just want a good copy of each edition so that I can , well, read them. There's a lot of good stuff in the old books that aren't covered in modern editions. I've got one old Scoutmaster's Handbook that includes directions for spit-roasting an entire side of beef! Now, the part of me that knows how to cook starts thinking about how all the different cuts want to be cooked differently, but, come on--Spit roasting. An. Entire. Side. Of. Beef! Sweet!

Back to the book. I grabbed a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal and Conn Iggulden a few weeks back, and have been skimming through it ever since. It really does remind me of an old handbook or fieldbook, with instructions on home-made archery gear, knots, famous battles, a "Navajo Code Talker's Dictionary", and so on. It's well written, with a little humor thrown in here and there to keep it readable. Like a fieldbook, it's not something you'd read straight through, but I've been enjoying picking out one or two articles every night.

There's a website for the book at www.dangerousbookforboys.com, and I've also heard there are plans afoot to make a movie (no idea how they'd do that). They even apparently are/have been sponsoring some sort of summer camp activity for having a "Dangerous Book Day" at your camp that I wish I would have spotted before this morning.

Check it out!
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Dennis
Minister of Propaganda, Webmaestro, and Chief Bottle Washer

"Everything that passes unattempted is impossible." - Stephen R. Donaldson