boy scouts of america

the fifth avenue building, 200 fifth avenue

new york city

july 31st, 1913

to the public:

in the execution of its purpose to give educational value and moral worth to the recreational activities of the boyhood of america, the leaders of the boy scout movement quickly learned that to effectively carry out its program, the boy must be influenced not only in his out-of-door life but also in the diversions of his other leisure moments. it is at such times that the boy is captured by the tales of daring enterprises and adventurous good times. what now is needful is not that his taste should be thwarted but trained. there should constantly be presented to him the books the boy likes best, yet always the books that will be best for the boy. as a matter of fact, however, the boy’s taste is being constantly vitiated and exploited by the great mass of cheap juvenile literature.

to help anxiously concerned parents and educators to meet this grave peril, the library commission of the boy scouts of america has been organised. every boy’s library is the result of their labors. all the books chosen have been approved by them. the commission is composed of the following members: george f. bowerman, librarian, public library of the district of columbia, washington, d. c.; harrison v. graver, librarian, carnegie library of pittsburgh, pa.; claude g. leland, superintendent, bureau of libraries, board of education, new york city; edward f. stevens, librarian, pratt institute free library, brooklyn, new york; together with the editorial board of our movement, william d. murray, george d. pratt and frank presbray, with franklin k. mathiews, chief scout librarian, as secretary.

in selecting the books, the commission has chosen only such as are of interest to boys, the first twenty-five being either works of fiction or stirring stories of adventurous experiences. in later lists, books of a more serious sort will be included. it is hoped that as many as twenty-five may be added to the library each year.

thanks are due the several publishers who have helped to inaugurate this new department of our work. without their co-operation in making available for popular priced editions some of the best books ever published for boys, the promotion of every boy’s library would have been impossible.

we wish, too, to express our heartiest gratitude to the library commission, who, without compensation, have placed their vast experience and immense resources at the service of our movement.

the commission invites suggestions as to future books to be included in the library. librarians, teachers, parents, and all others interested in welfare work for boys, can render a unique service by forwarding to national headquarters lists of such books as in their judgment would be suitable for every boy’s library.

signed

james e. west

chief scout executive.