1948 First Ed Order of the Arrow Handbook 1st Print 5000-8-48 OA BSA Newberry For Sale

A cornerstone piece of Scouting history: 1948 marks the pivotal year the Order of the Arrow officially integrated into the Boy Scouts of America as its national honor society. To support this formal recognition, National OA Committee leader J. Rucker Newbery compiled and released the very first official manual. This August 1948 printing (code 5000-8-48 by John Furlong & Sons) represents that historic first-ever press run of just 5,000 copies, distinguished by its original cover design which lacks the word "Handbook" entirely—a key detail added on the subsequent late-1948 second printing. The exterior wraps show light surface, edge, and corner scuffing, along with a stain at the rear cover corner, while spine text and arrows remain faint but legible. Inside, light foxing appears on the front and rear endpapers, and liquid staining is visible at some page corners, though no leaves are waved or stuck together. The interior pages are clean, unmarked, smudge-free, and free of dog ears and tears. The staple binding remains secure and the covers are firmly attached, with slight rust visible at the rear where the back cover pulls away slightly from the text body to expose the staples.Note: This description was prepared with the assistance of AI to synthesize provided facts; buyers are encouraged to verify all bibliographic details against the provided photos.
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