The bestselling book for every boy from eight to eighty, covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age old question of what the big deal with girls is.

In this digital age there is still a place for knots, skimming stones and stories of incredible courage. This book recaptures Sunday afternoons, stimulates curiosity, and makes for great father-son activities. The brothers Conn and Hal have put together a wonderful collection of all things that make being young or young at heart fun— building go-carts and electromagnets, identifying insects and spiders, and flying the world's best paper airplanes.

The completely revised American Edition includes:

The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Five Knots Every Boy Should Know
Stickball
Slingshots
Fossils
Building a Treehouse
Making a Bow and Arrow
Fishing (revised with US Fish)
Timers and Tripwires
Baseball's "Most Valuable Players"
Famous Battles-Including Lexington and Concord, The Alamo, and Gettysburg
Spies-Codes and Ciphers
Making a Go-Cart
Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
Girls
Cloud Formations
The States of the U.S.
Mountains of the U.S.
Navigation
The Declaration of Independence
Skimming Stones
Making a Periscope
The Ten Commandments
Common US Trees
Timeline of American History

Related Categories:
Books > Reference > Handbooks & Manuals
Books > Sports & Recreation > Outdoor Skills
Books > Crafts & Hobbies > General

Boys will be boys

Reading The Dangerous Book for Boys by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden is like coming across an old trunk in an attic. The book is full of forgotten treasures, tantalizing challenges and bits of history, science and adventure sure to stir the hearts of boys. It's not a book you read in order, but a wonderfully jumbled collection of surprises. There are instructions for folding "The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World"; building tree houses, go-carts and electromagnets; making and shooting a bow and arrow; speaking Navajo; finding north with a watch; and on and on. Mixed in are tales of great battles; the adventures of explorers, fighter pilots and mountain climbers; primers on grammar, Latin, astronomy, insects and trees; along with advice on everything from first aid to talking with girls—the sort of things, say the Igguldens, that every boy should know. The style is delightfully man to man, as though the authors are imparting secrets of the brotherhood of man to those who wish to join the ranks. Fathers will enjoy this as a memory of their own childhood—or even as a chance to try some things they didn't learn themselves. And as for boys, I can't think of anything better to "hide" casually on a shelf for a boy to discover on a boring, rainy day—it's sure to spur once again the adventure that is growing up.