The comic masterpiece Tristram Shandy is often regarded as a progenitor of the twentieth century novel. Within the resolutely tangled strands of this narrative is the life, from conception, of a gentleman cursed at birth with the name Tristram. Though everything occurs between parlor and garden, Tristram's excitable father, bewildered mother, and Uncle Toby provide ample opportunity for the digressions and madcap events that structure this seminal novel. Narrated by Shandy, the story begins at the moment of his conception and diverts into endless digressions, interruptions, stories-within-stories, and other narrative devices. The focus shifts from the fortunes of the hero himself to the nature of his family, environment, and heredity, and the dealings within that family offer repeated images of human unrelatedness and disconnection.

The main purpose of the book is to show the object and methods of Scout training. It offers the Scoutmaster some ideas for training boys to be good citizens, through the use of the four greatest qualities of Scouting: character, physical health, handcraft for making a career, and service to others. Powell explains each of the four qualities and elaborates on how they fit into every day life. Aids to Scoutmastership gives the Scoutmaster suggested themes for meetings, and specific tasks for advancement. No troop library is complete, and no Scoutmaster should be without this handy guide. Let Powell be your personal guide through the Scouting experience.