My Adventures as a Spy

by Robert Baden-Powell

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Historical, Adventure, Military Fiction, Espionage

94 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1915

About the author

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell , British general and first baron Baden-Powell, founded the Boy Scouts in 1908 and with his sister Agnes Baden-Powell founded the Girl Guides in 1910.

This also known lord and lieutenant in the Army wrote of the movement.

Charterhouse school educated Baden-Powell, who afterward from 1876 served in the Army in India and Africa until 1910. In 1899 during the second Boer War in South Africa, Baden-Powell successfully defended the besieged city of Mafeking. He wrote several also read military books for reconnaissance and training in his African years. Based on those earlier books, he wrote Scouting for Boys , which Pearson published in 1908 for youth readership. During writing, he tested his ideas on Brownsea island through a camping trip that began on 1 August 1907, now seen as the beginning.

Baden-Powell and notably Olave Saint Clair Soames, his wife, after their marriage actively gave the movement. Baden-Powell lived his last years in Nyeri, Kenya, where he died.

Reviews

[Nola Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously, when you learn that the founder of the Boy Scouts was once a spy, how could you not read his adventures, especially when they are so short? The fact that the author constantly interchanged the word spying with scouting only served to make me laugh a little more.

Baden-Powell's memoirs are brief, simple, and to the point, with a tone consistent with other books of the time. His adventures are briefly described, without great detail or action, and leave much to be desired. He offers a rudimentary course in scouting...err...spying, with a handful of insights that might be new to today's reader, but not many. It was moderately interesting, though more so because of the identity of the author than anything else.

[Minu fox]

Audiobook (po polsku)

[Max Lybbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Baden-Powell had an interesting life. This books gives an insider’s view to spycraft before WWI. I found it entertaining, even though (or, perhaps, because) none of the stories mention James Bond technology. Baden-Powell had to do his job with courage and deception.

[José David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que como lectura, fuera de ser Scout y de estar interesado en la vida de BP, es, aunque muy interesante, también un tanto pesada.
Ahora, creo que dentro de la vida Scout, y/o teniendo el interés por la vida del autor o del espionaje, se vuelve sumamente interesante, sobre todo al tomar en cuenta que no se trata de una novela, sino de las aventuras de alguien quien verdaderamente fue un espía. Me fascinó especialmente aquellas partes en las que detallo sus métodos para ocultar planos en dibujos.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim volume, collecting various anecdotes of Baden-Powell's activities as a British agent. Occasionally shows its 100 year ago in its attitudes, but is otherwise an engaging bit of real life "boy's own adventure".

[Ehab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ideas are written in a short and clear way. It gives some of the aspects of the great Boy Scout founder. Most of the stories are from the period before WWI (Book Published 1915) and the stories give good hints about different cultures at that time. (German, Japanese, South African, Balkan, etc..)

[Matthew Sparling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Short Read

This is a good short read about Mr. Baden-Powell’s exploits as a spy. There is nothing in-depth but still interesting.

[Adam Hegedus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting but the language mistakes annoy me too much in several places.

[Dorian Kettler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories were funny.

[Stephen Gilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stuff, written in a fun and conversational tone. Left me wanting more.

[Eric Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely entertaining read! I loved learning about the founder of scouting and his "prior life" of spying. Anyone would enjoy reading this book from young children to adults. I could imagine most of what was happening as if I were there along side of Baden-Powell just like a good story book. Because these are actual true events that took place, it makes it all the more thrilling!

Learning about his adventures spying and his skill and love for acting, I can totally see how and why the scouting program was put together the way it was. All the silly skits and songs you hear in scouting are right in line with Baden-Powell. Learning about how to survive on the land, navigating around using a compass, tying knots, working as a team, and more that we do in the Boy Scouts of America are all shown here in this book as Baden experienced it as a young spy.

[Rumaisa Shaikh]

literally started reading this on a speed reading app since two years of my preping for the SAT. Still havent finished it but i still sometimes continue to read it from time to time and the ideas just fall into place no matter the time of my being in touch with the book.
Woody Allen once said "I took a speed reading course where you run your finger down the middle of the page and was able to read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It's about Russia."
Lesson: dont read War and Peace as a speed reading experiment
This one isnt as thick so you can keep up on a speed read, plus i dont think mine is as fast to finish it in 20. But still i love the short stories in this book but cant restate even some of my favourite ones which proves speed reading is a scam, so just,,,,, r e a d

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the founder of the scouting movement was a spy?

A fun little book. Being written so long ago, it feels like reading an old black and white spy movie. Very easy and quick to read, it starts with more of an instructional manual and bridges into anecdotes. Not heavy on the meat, but definitely worth a quick read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, this book relates a few basic hints as to how to be a good spy and tells of a few of Baden-Powell's experiences. I would have liked more background of his adventures and more follow-up. But it was still fun to read.

[TJ Fund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

I imagine that Lord Baden Powell was quite the character in life. It would have been fun to know him. His book is fun and quick to read and gives a little deeper context and background to his authority on "Scouting"!

[Erneilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Robert Baden-Powell is still my hero! Long live the Scouts of the World!!

[Héctor]

Ingenioso, y entretenido, para los que fuimos alguna vez scouts, altamente recomendables.

[Michelle Hansendaberkow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. I did not know that he was a spy and felt pulled to read this by an extraordinary force of curiosity.


I could read it again.

[Darren Sapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting nuggets, but not much on narrative or flow.

[Gary Ross-Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining if somewhat formal. Really takes you back into what we imagine as the true cloak and dagger times.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: of scouting fame, the author was an officer and spy in several wars. He goes into the details of spying from disguises to foreign police.

[Nurullah Masum]

Very much interesting......

[Cole]

Awsome