Drawing on Baden-Powell's extensive archive, Playing the Game is a rich and evocative selection of his writings, on peace - a major theme throughout his career and the theme of the 2007 centenary celebrations, on his own life, from his wonderfull idiosyncratic anecdotal autobiography and includes a healthy sprinkling of some of BP'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 splendour 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

The Compendium has been compiled by Mario Sica, one of the world's leading authories on scouting. Robert Baden-Powell's grandson, the present Lord Baden-Powell has contributed a foreword.