Old-Fashioned Boys' Books Aimed At Stirring Up Noble Feelings, Fair Play, Manly Courage And God Bless The King.

[Atheist]

Any oldies here ever come across "Quitter Gibbs" or "The Belmont Mounted Scouts"?

[Buenchico]

They're not titles that I'm familiar with but there were plenty of books of that type published.
https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/18937120111_2.jpg

They may have had good intentions, as you suggest, (such as promoting fair play and loyalty) but many of them weren't exactly promoting international relations and racial harmony, with their portrayal of non-white people (if they featured at all) as being simple savages and of foreigners in general as being inferior to His Majesty's loyal subjects in every way possible.

[jourdain2]

No, but I read loads of similar-sounding books - despite being a girl! I devoured 'The Eagle' and other boys magazines. Did anyone read the David Flame series? Bit like Biggles only with sports cars instead of 'planes. I read Biggles too. Then I was pointed towards 'Worrals', John's female version. You could tell his heart wasn't in it. I learned useful things you could do with a nail-file though. :)

[Atheist]

Buen, when they were written, foreigners were regarded much like they are today by some people; they look different, they talk different, they were unfortunately born abroad, and they don't have a sense of humour.
The better old books often spoke kindly of the servants or bearers who helped the white man (be he soldier or missionary) to do his exploring and exploiting, and some of whom were clever enough to speak a form of English.
That was the zeitgeist, and we see our own here on AB every day.
The two books I mentioned were more to do with English chaps in England - public school values of decency, fair play and loyalty, and ability to refrain from lashing out at a foe unless the honour of one's mother was threatened, etc, etc.
Harry Flashman was a fascinating villain from those days; immortalised in the Flashman Papers, and an inspiration to our current PM. Unfortunately our current PM lacks the dashing whiskers, the ramrod back, the physical courage and strength; also, alas, the self-awareness of his own unashamed baseness which makes him tolerable and even attactive.
Sorry to drift off-thread.

[Old_Geezer]

No. So, someone called quitter, and someone else who mounted scouts, stirs up noble feelings, fair play, manly courage and God blessing the king ?

[Old_Geezer]

Biggles was good. I reckon probably the best story was "Biggles Flies Undone", where he hung out with the lads.

[douglas9401]

Very clubbable, members only though.

[sandyRoe]

Would Beau Geste fall into this category? It featured decent clean-cut Englishmen 'playing the white man'.

[Atheist]

OG: Biggles Pulls it Off was another great.
I suppose that citing Scouting for Boys by Baden-Powell is too corny to raise much of a laugh.

[Atheist]

sandy; I haven't read Beau Geste. All reminiscent of Joseph Locke's "Goodbye" song, and Newbold's "Play Up, Play Up and Play the Game". Stirring stuff indeed!