Playing the Game

2007 saw the centenary of scouting and the 150th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Robert Baden-Powell. Playing the Game examines the long-lasting legacy of the movement and its forefather. Drawing on Baden-Powell's extensive archive, it is a rich and evocative selection of his writings, on peace?a major theme throughout his career, on his own life?drawing from his wonderful idiosyncratic anecdotal autobiography, and including a healthy sprinkling of some of Baden-Powell's more memorable aphorisms, such as "I don't mind confessing I have a weakness for hippos," and "The man who holds the average boy's attention for more than seven minutes is a genius," not to mention "Knowledge without character is mere pie-crust." Imbued with a strong sense of the splendor and the old-school Empire feel of Baden-Powell's work, Playing the Game offers a dazzling window into a world that's gone, but whose legacy remains alive, not least in the 28 million members of the Scouts Association.