New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-22
BOYS OUTDOOR BOOKS
Trails and Camps, Pioneers and
Scouting.

Mr.. Ernest Thompson Seton Is at his
best in Rolf in the Woods" doubleday,
Page & Coz. A story Of the events OK
the War Of 1912 In the Lake Champlain
region, It is. first of all and all the time,
book Of the open, Of the life OF the
wilderness, its craft and ways, chron-
icle Of a romantic existence that boy
may still reconstruct for himself In the
woods. aided by his imagination and
guided by the experience and exploits Of
Rolf. This youngsters apprenticeship
in the woods Of Northern New York In
tracking, hunting, trapping and trading,
in living in the country, proves to be the
best training he could have received for
his later services to his country as scout,
dispatch bearer and fighter In the days
Of the British invasion. And what a
master Of the craft Of the wild is his
friend and teacher Quonab the Indian,
and how simply and clearly does he i'm
part his knowledge and skill TO his pupil
and the readers of the book! OF Mr..
CtIOIl . ilONiAiIiS hSCu ~ 1900
at this late date beyond the fact that
they number over two hundred. The
volume is got up in the handsome style
of its predecessors. with the most de-
lightful Of marginal sketches. A book
that will make many boys happy
"Harper's Camping and Scouting"
(Harper & Bros.) is practical from first
page 70 last. 1t teaches boys how to do
success Of camping expedition, whether
II be the building Of an Indian camp In
the yard at home or the establishment of
quarters away in the country, in the
woods, at the seashore, by lake. in all
parts Of the country, for all purposes,
whether for hunting or fishing or merely
for healthful, beneficial outdoor life, with
it's simpler summer sports. The pitch
ing Of camps and their outfits, camp
cooking and camp hygiene and SANTA
ton, the discipline of life in common,
dress-all these and many other matters
are explained in text. diagram and illus
tration. There is chapter on noun
taineering and a whole section on the
Boy Scout movement in England and
America, with chapters on woodcraft.
trailing, footprints, signalling, sign lam
guage, etc The organization and man
agement Of boys camps. which has be-
come a business and almost profess
sion, is also dealt with, while, finally,
there are chapters on camping for girls
and caravaning in England. The book
has been edited by Mr.. George Bird
Grlnnell and DR.. Eugene L. Swan, and
counts among its contributors Mr.. Henry
p. Wells, Mr.. James Wellman and Mr..
Garrett P. Serviss. Not the least Of the
merits Of this eminently helpful book is
its insistence upon the fact that one can
camp as pleasantly and profitably a few
miles away from home as at far greater
distances
The fiction Of Mr.. Rupert Sargent Hol-
lands THE Boy Scouts Of Birch Bark
Island" (The j. b. Lippincott Company
serves to teach its readers good deal
Of the practical training and work OF boy
scouting, Of camping. map making and
trailing, various methods OF signalling.
etc. All the sports, amusements and ad-
ventures OF the long summer vacation In
the open have their share in the nara
tive which we'll serves its unmistakable
purpose Of interesting our youngsters In
the Boy Scout movement.
| Ii is Of historic scouts in grim and
dangerous earnest, Of the pioneers Of the
great West that Mr.. George Bird Grin
nell tells in Trails OF the Pathinders"
| (Chares Scribner's Sons). This is not
primarily a book for boys. but their eld-
ers, for whom IL is chiefly intended, will
| DO we'll TO hand II on to the youngsters,
not only as q collection Of tales OF thrill
| ing adventure in the virgin wilds, but
also OF chapters Of early American his
tory, some OK them almost unknown,
others long since forgotten. The books
in which the travels OF some Of these
pioneers were chronicled are no longer
easy of access; the records others wrote
of their own adventures have never seen
the light Of print. 1t is upon this buried
wealth Of material that Mr.. Grinnell
draws in these pages, devoted to the
period from the return of Lewis and
Clark from their transcontinental vent
ure of exploration to the establishment
OF the old California trail. There are
historic names here. Lewis and Clark s
| a.c4 oe q II and Zehnlnn Plies and Path