Looking for original 1910 BSA Master at Arms merit badge handbook

[lklawson]

Help me find a book! I'm looking for an original 1910 U.S. Boy Scouts "Master at Arms" merit badge handbook.

I've already found and republished the 1926 edition but that is a much later edition and it's British. The U.S. BSA "Master at Arms" badge was discontinued almost immediately, in 1911. I'm trying to source an original copy, both for my personal research and to pursue my hobby of republishing antique manuals and making the high-quality PDF available for free.

If you're a BSA collector (or a book collector) and have a copy, please, contact me. If you're not willing to part with your original, I can get done what I need with decent quality pics or even photocopies.

Please help me preserve this information and make it available to future generations.

Thank you!

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[sebvox]

Have you tried contacting the National Scouting Museum at Philmont?  They have an extensive research library.  I would also try going to a local trade-o-ree.  It's mostly patches but some guys have rare stuff like what you are looking for.

https://www.bsator.com/2021-trade-o-rees/

[springfield art]

There's no doubt that there is a Scout memorabilia site; you probably know that already! Or searching e-bay, bet you did that, too! Good luck with your search!

[lklawson]

Have you tried contacting the National Scouting Museum at Philmont?  They have an extensive research library.  I would also try going to a local trade-o-ree.  It's mostly patches but some guys have rare stuff like what you are looking for.

https://www.bsator.com/2021-trade-o-rees/

Thanks.  I'll check with them.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[lklawson]

There's no doubt that there is a Scout memorabilia site; you probably know that already! Or searching e-bay, bet you did that, too! Good luck with your search!

I actually have permanent search/want entries on ABE-Books, which has found rare and hard to locate books for me in the past.  No luck so far. 

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[lklawson]

I got a reply from the U.S. National Scouting Museum.

Merit badge pamphlets did not exist for Merit Badges in 1910, they came along later in the program in February 1919. The Merit Badge in question, Master at Arms, was part of the British Scouting program and was brought to the U.S. in 1909 as part of the initial launch of the Scouting program in this country. There is no record that any U.S. Scout ever earned this or any of the original 14 merit badges imported from England.

So I guess I'm looking for a copy of the 1910 British manual.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[sebvox]

That is a pretty informative response from the National Scouting Museum.  I laugh to myself when I think about how Remington would have answered a simple question like that.