Back to Basics by Peter Brooks

[Blue Magician]

During my wood badge training, I was given photocopies of pages from a book 'Back to Basics' by Peter Brooks. The pages included things like firelighting, axe safety etc. I think it explains things very clearly and it is something that my Scouts could benefit from. Unfortunately, I only have a small number of pages and the book is at least 36 pages long.

Does anyone know where I could buy the book?

[Graeme]

What a coincidence!

I've just been sorting through my Scouting stuff and I've found something from MY training. The entire book reproduced (46 pages!).

According to the blurb on the back, It's been reproduced by my county with permission from The Scout Association. So might be worth phoning the info centre to see if they know?

Failing that I could scan it for you? Or give you the index and let you choose the pages you want scanned?

[Blue Magician]

Originally Posted by Graeme

What a coincidence!
Failing that I could scan it for you? Or give you the index and let you choose the pages you want scanned?

That would be excellent.

[lecheffie]

How Bizzare, i have extracts from the Book too. But could certainly do with getting a copy.

[BigBadBaloo]

Originally Posted by Blue Magician

While during my wood badge training, I was given photocopies of pages from a book 'Back to Basics' by Peter Brooks. The pages included things like firelighting, axe safety etc. I think it explains things very clearly and it is something that my Scouts could benefit from. Unfortunately, I only have a small number of pages and the book is at least 36 pages long.

Does anyone know where I could buy the book?

I actually have a copy of the whole thing, which I think I inherited from my predecessor as CSL (either that or we found it when having a massive tidy up of the Cub cupboard!) and I use it a lot.

According to the blurb on the back cover, it was a reprint from a series in Scouting Magazine. It was printed in August 1990 and reprinted in November 1997 by Wednesday Press Ltd of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Its ISBN is 0 851645 242 5, but I haven't been able to find it up for sale anywhere.

It is clearly a sort after book, so I shall treasure my copy with great care!

[Evil Akela]

This series ran for nearly two years in Scouting magazine, with a couple of pages each month. Jan 88 - Sept 89
At that time Scouting magazine produced lots of booklets from a series of articles they had run.
I have found my magazines for this time; perhaps I should be scanning these pages and collating them somewhere?

[Graeme]

http://scoutbox.co.uk/backtobasics.pdf

Here you go. I've not fully tested it works, and Publisher made some of the pages funny (read: blank), but its mostly there.

Edit: New link: http://www.4shared.com/file/54011139...ktobasics.html

[Blue Magician]

Originally Posted by Graeme

http://scoutbox.co.uk/backtobasics.pdf
Here you go. I've not fully tested it works, and Publisher made some of the pages funny (read: blank), but its mostly there.

Hi Graeme, Thanks for uploading the file. However, I am unable to open it. I get the error message "There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired." from Acrobat and "Couldn’t open the file. It may be corrupt or a file format that Preview doesn’t recognize." in Preview. Which pdf viewer do you use? It might just be a Mac thing so others might be able to open the file.

[Dramatist]

I got the same message on a PC using Adobe 8 & Firefox Browser.

[Graeme]

It just hadn't uploaded properly. Should be okay now. Here's the link again: http://scoutbox.co.uk/backtobasics.pdf

I forgot to mention, I've done it using my camera, so expect to see parts of my hand in some pictures. But it's all very readable (apart from the duff pages mentioned earlier). Anyway, see what you think...

Edit: I've taken it down now, as I've gone massively over my hosting bandwidth limits. If you want it, PM me with your email address and I'll try sending it that way. Otherwise I'll try uploading it somewhere else this afternoon.

Edit 2: New link: http://www.4shared.com/file/54011139...ktobasics.html

[Blue Magician]

Thanks for uploading Graeme. Do you know what is missing from the pages that did not show up correctly?

[Graeme]

Woops, thought the index page was one of the ones that'd worked...

Besides the below pages, there's an foreword and introduction. The pages are in order so should be pretty easy to find what you want, or are missing. I have all the pages in jpeg format so let me know if you need anything.

5 - Firelighting
6 - Types of cooking fire
7 - Wood burning properties
8 - Tent Pitching
9 - Bivouac building
10 - Patrol camp gear
11 - Patrol camp layout
12 - Camp gadgets
13 - Patrol box/table
14 - Rucsac packing
15 - Kit layout for inspection
17 - Flagpoles
18 - Flag practice I
19 - Flag practice II
20 - Axe safety
21 - Food estimating
22 - Steps to camping abroad
23 - Map reading I
24 - Map reading II
25 - Map reading III
26 - Map reading IV
27 - Ways of finding your bearings
28 - Knotting
29 - Lashings I
30 - Lashings II
31 - Splicing
32 - Rope-end whipping
33 - First Aid I - Roller bandaging
34 - First Aid II - Slings and Triangular bandages
35 - Weather
36 - Estimation
37 - Signalling
38 - Troop Control
39 - Patrol corner and box
40 - BP Part I
41 - BP Part II
42 - BP Part III
43 - Brownsea Island
44 - Movement History
45 - Chief Scouts Part 1
46 - Chief Scouts Part 2

[kezzy]

Graeme,
Looks like the doc is missing on that url (21:39 thurs 2rd July 08). Has it been pulled as it has had too many hits? Would love to see it.

[Graeme]

Originally Posted by kezzy

Graeme,
Looks like the doc is missing on that url (21:39 thurs 2rd July 08). Has it been pulled as it has had too many hits? Would love to see it.

I took it down because it was using too much of my bandwidth.

However I've just finished uploading it again, in jpeg format. So all the pages are there this time. You can find it here: http://www.4shared.com/file/54011139...ktobasics.html

[beaver1935]

You will find the whole booklet in pdf form on my website
http://www.shurdington.org/Scouts/home.htm
This has been converted to pdf with the full sanction of the Scout Association, whose copyright it remains. The SA however wiave copyright for genuine scouting pusposes. It is just 7mb and downloads easily. Enjoy.