Making the Most of Yourself; The Boy Scout Trail to the Greatest of All Adventures

New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1941. Book. Near Fine. Cloth. SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR. First Edition. A RARE book in any edition, this copy doubly so for being SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR James E. West, the then Chief Scout Executive, Boy Scouts of America and Editor, "Boys' Life, the Boy Scouts Magazine", "To Will H. Hays, with esteem and appreciation James E. West". Will H. Hays managed Warren G. Hardings successful campaign for the Presidency of the U.S. and was subsequently appointed Postmaster General. After a year in that position, he resigned to become most famously known as the first President of Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), which under his guidance published a blacklist of actors and workers studios should not hire, inserted moral clauses into actors' contracts, and published an informal list of suggested guidelines for film producers. When the Catholic Church formed its Legion of Decency and threatened nationwide boycotts of movies, Hays installed a more formal production code, called the Hays Code( later simply "The Code"), which became the virtual law of Hollywood until the 1960s. It's easy to understand that the Boy Scouts of America would have been a favorite organization of Hays'. The book is Near Fine, top corners small bumps, in a Very Good Plus dustjacket, small chips and tears at the top flap and spine folds. Publisher's promotional poster laid in. Introduction by Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. A great piece of Americana, combining Boy Scouting and Hollywood history !.