Overview
Original Date: 1957
Type: Booklet
Era: 1953-1960 Boy Scout Years
Condition: very good
Description
This booklet is an autograph book for Scouts, with a brief account of the extension of the Boy Scout Movement and a Directory of the Member Associations. It was first published in 1952 by The Boy Scouts International Bureau with this 3rd Edition having been printed in July 1957, apparently for the Jubilee Jamboree where I purchased and used it to gather some autographs and addresses from Scouts of other countries.
Part One provides a dozen pages about the international scouting movement over the years; Part Two is for autographs in a directory of member countries.
For each country a drawing of a Scout badge for the scouting organization is included; some countries have more than one organization that may vary by religion, politics, race or other category. These drawings were extremely helpful to me as I identified each badge that I mounted on the canvas of my 1957 World Badge Collection.
Images
Historical Context
This 3rd edition included 10,000 copies, probably intended for purchase at the Scout store at the Jubilee Jamboree. Most likely, many Scouts or visitors to the Jamboree purchased and used one of these excellent reference books to collect autographs. I collected 17 names, some with addresses or messages. One very special one was a Scout living in Sweden, but from Estonia (Scouts in Exile). Then there was the Scout from Austria whose message in German to me translated as “You are getting on my nerves! O.K.” That’s one for world friendship 🙂
Provenance & Personal Connection
Source: Scout store at Jubilee Jamboree, Sutton Park, England
How I Acquired It: Purchased by me in August 1957, used at Jamboree
Personal Notes: Each of the 17 autographs included represent a fine boy who had the opportunity to learn through Scouting as I did.
Physical Details
Number of Pages/Items: 92
Markings: 17 autographs, some with addresses or cards.
Related Artifacts
Last Updated: November 3, 2025