"Two Little Savages: Being the Adventures of Two Boys who Lived as Indians and what They Learned", with Over Two Hundred Drawings; Novel and illustrations by Ernest Thompson Seton; published by William Briggs, Toronto, First Canada Edition with MDCCCIII [1903] on the title page.

A boy with a consuming interest in nature finally realizes his dream of living in the woods like an Indian.

In 1902, Seton founded a group called the Woodcraft Indians, and went on to become one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America.

Although written in the third person, Two Little Savages records Seton's adventures in the woods of Ontario in 1876, when he and a friend developed games that were later incorporated in Boy Scout rituals still in use today. This is one of the great classics of nature and boyhood by one of America's foremost nature experts. It presents a vast range of woodlore in the most palatable of forms, a genuinely delightful story. It will provide many hours of good reading for any child who likes the out-of-doors, and will teach him or her many interesting facts of nature, as well as a number of practical skills. It will be sure to awaken an interest in the outdoor world in any youngster who has not yet discovered the fascination of nature.

The story concerns two farm boys who build a teepee in the woods and persuade the grownups to let them live in it for a month. During that time they learn to prepare their own food, build a fire without matches, use an axe expertly, make a bed out of boughs; they learn how to "smudge" mosquitoes, how to get clear water from a muddy pond, how to build a dam, how to know the stars, how to find their way when they get lost; how to tell the direction of the wind, blaze a trail, distinguish animal tracks, protect themselves from wild animals; how to use Indian signals, make moccasins, bows and arrows, Indian drums and war bonnets; how to know the trees and plants, and how to make dyes from plants and herbs. They learn all about the habits of various birds and animals, how they get their food, who their enemies are and how they protect themselves from them.

"Most of this information is not generally available in books, and could be gained otherwise only by years of life and experience in suitable surroundings. Yet Mr. Thompson Seton explains it so vividly and fully, with so many clear, marginal illustrations through the book, that the reader will finish "Two Little Savages" with an enviable knowledge of trees, plants, wild life, woodlore, Indian crafts and arts, and survival information for the wilds. All of this is presented through a lively narrative that has as its heroes two real boys, typically curious about everything in the world around them, eager to outdo each other in every kind of endeavor. The exciting adventures that befall them during their stay in the woods are just the sort of thing that will keep a young reader enthralled and will stimulate his or her imagination at every turn." [from a review]

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ---------- $8.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ---- $27.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ----- $37.50

Hard boards, original publisher’s decorated cloth [some wear, especially spine ends, 5.3/4” x 8”; illustrated endpapers, private ink iscription on the first blank page dated Christmas 1903; 552 pages including Index; many illustrations, high quality paper, rough page edges, very good condition.