The Boy Scout Series Books
of
Percy Keese Fitzhugh

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Boy Scouts	Mark Gilmore	Pee-Wee Harris	Roy Blakeley	Tom Slade	Westy Martin

about the author

Percy Keese Fitzhugh (September 7, 1876 - July 5, 1950) was born in Brooklyn NY and attended Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, later moving to Oradell NJ with a studio in nearby Hackensack NJ.

The bulk of his work, having a Boy Scouting theme, revolves around the fictional town of Bridgeboro NJ (based on Hackensack and featuring many then current places in the town). Major characters included Tom Slade, Pee-Wee Harris, Roy Blakeley, and Westy Martin. Each of these characters had their own, distinctly different, series of books.

In addition, Fitzhugh contributed Boy Scout stories to a fifth series of books, Buddy Books for Boys, which featured individual stories of other characters and situations by a variety of authors. In all, Grosset & Dunlap published nearly 70 different Fitzhugh titles in these 5 series.

In the 1930's he began writing the Hal Keen Mystery Series under the pseudonym Hugh Lloyd, also published by Grosset & Dunlap. The Hal Keen books were followed by the 3 volume Skippy Dare mystery series, again published by Grosset & Dunlap. Neither of these series achieved the popularity of his earlier Boy Scout work.

Percy Keese Fitzhugh died at his home in Oradell NJ on July 5, 1950 after a long illness; he was 73

The Boy Scout Books

These books are a sub-set of "Crowell's Boy Scout" series.
Illustrators: Remington Schuyler (1), Harvey Fisk (2,3)
Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Frontispiece & 3 or 4 illustrations on glossy paper.
Initially released in a green cloth binding, later editions have light gray cloth binding.
Full color DJ on white coated paper (same illustration as cover), different for each book.
Grosset & Dunlap reprinted Along the Mohawk Trail as part of its Every Boys' Library

Grosset & Dunlap Edition Cover Art

Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Mark Gilmore Books

These books are a sub-series of "Buddy Books For Boys"
(Not to be confused with the Buddy series by Howard Garis)
All books illustrated by Howard L. Hastings
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Red cloth binding
Black lettering on spine, yellow lettering outlined in black on front, (also black all over)
Frontispiece & 3 illustrations on glossy paper.
Full color DJ on white coated paper, different for each book.

Mark Gilmore Cover Art

Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Pee-Wee Harris Series All readers of the Tom Slade and the Roy Blakeley books are acquainted with Pee-Wee Harris. These stories record the true facts concerning his size (what there is of it) and his heroism (such as it is), his voice, his clothes, his appetite, his friends, his enemies, his victims. Together with the thrilling narrative of how he foiled, baffled, circumvented and triumphed over everything and everybody (except where he failed) and how even when he failed he succeeded. The whole recorded in a series of screams and told with neither muffler nor cut-out. Grosset & Dunlap advertisement The Pee-Wee Harris books are much lighter in tone than Fitzhugh's Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley series. Through blind luck and strange twists of fate, the goofily oblivious (but always debonair) Walter "Pee-Wee" Harris stumbles into one adventure after another -- things always, however, turning out for the best at the end. Like many of the Scouts in Fitzhugh's novels, Pee-wee was based on a real person, Al Gar Bloom, whose father ran a newsstand near Fitzhugh's studio in Hackensack, NJ. In 1952 the "Pee Wee Harris" comic strip appeared in the official magazine of the Boy Scouts, Boys' Life (September issue). The first artist was Bill Williams who drew it from 1952 to 1963. The strip originally carried the byline "by Percy K. Fitzhugh" even though Fitzhugh had died in 1950. The comic strip originally followed story lines from the books. Over the years, it has been changed in both artistic style and story line. In the latest incarnations of the strip, Westy, Sam, and Chubb appear in supporting roles. Artists have included Manny Stallman and Frank Bolle and currently Mike Adair. Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): tan cloth binding, black lettering on spine, red outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, pictorial DJ on coated paper, different for each book. Whitman Publishing (1&2 only) as part of the 2300 series: textured composition binding in various colors, no illustrations, DJ in color, different for each book. Artist: H.S. Barbour (all volumes)	1: Pee-Wee Harris - 1922 "Pee-wee visits his uncle whose farm is located on a by-road, and conceives the idea of starting a little shack along the road in which to sell refreshments, etc. Scarcely has he started this little shack than the bridge upon the highway burns down and the country road becomes a thruway for automobiles" 2: Pee-Wee Harris on the Trail - 1922 "Pee-wee gets into the wrong automobile by mistake and is carried to the country where he has a great time and many adventures." 3: Pee-Wee Harris in Camp - 1922 "The scene is set in the beloved and Familiar Temple Camp. Here Pee-wee resigns from the Raven Patrol, intending to start a patrol of his own. He finds this more difficult than he had expected, but overcomes all obstacles -- as usual." 4: Pee-Wee Harris in Luck - 1922 "Pee-wee goes with his mother to spend the summer on a farm, where he meets a girl who is bewailing her fate that there is no society at this obscure retreat. Pee-wee assures her that he will fix everything for her -- and proceeds to do so -- with his usual success." 5: Pee-Wee Harris Adrift - 1923 "A little spot of land up the river breaks away and floats down stream, with a laden apple tree growing upon it. Pee-wee takes possession of this island and the resulting adventures are decidedly entertaining." 6: Pee-Wee Harris F.O.B. Bridgeboro - 1923 "Pee-wee and his Patrol Leader set off on a trip to Temple Camp in an old flivver. But Temple Camp is not reached so readily when mishaps and adventures follow in rapid succession." 7: Pee-Wee Harris, Fixer - 1924 "Here we see Pee-wee in the role of a radio fan and never before did a radio cause such side-splitting complication." 8: Pee-Wee Harris: As Good As His Word - 1925 9: Pee-Wee Harris: Mayor For A Day - 1926 10: Pee-Wee Harris and the Sunken Treasure - 1927 11: Pee-Wee Harris on the Briny Deep - 1928 12: Pee-Wee Harris in Darkest Africa - 1929 13: Pee-Wee Harris Turns Detective - 1930 In addition, these two stories are known to exist: "Pee-Wee Harris Warrior Bold" (1930) - Boys' Life magazine serial "Pee-Wee's Gold Brick" - an unpublished manuscript
Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Pee-Wee Harris Series

All readers of the Tom Slade and the Roy Blakeley books are acquainted with Pee-Wee Harris. These stories record the true facts concerning his size (what there is of it) and his heroism (such as it is), his voice, his clothes, his appetite, his friends, his enemies, his victims. Together with the thrilling narrative of how he foiled, baffled, circumvented and triumphed over everything and everybody (except where he failed) and how even when he failed he succeeded. The whole recorded in a series of screams and told with neither muffler nor cut-out.

Grosset & Dunlap advertisement

The Pee-Wee Harris books are much lighter in tone than Fitzhugh's Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley series. Through blind luck and strange twists of fate, the goofily oblivious (but always debonair) Walter "Pee-Wee" Harris stumbles into one adventure after another -- things always, however, turning out for the best at the end. Like many of the Scouts in Fitzhugh's novels, Pee-wee was based on a real person, Al Gar Bloom, whose father ran a newsstand near Fitzhugh's studio in Hackensack, NJ.

In 1952 the "Pee Wee Harris" comic strip appeared in the official magazine of the Boy Scouts, Boys' Life (September issue). The first artist was Bill Williams who drew it from 1952 to 1963. The strip originally carried the byline "by Percy K. Fitzhugh" even though Fitzhugh had died in 1950. The comic strip originally followed story lines from the books. Over the years, it has been changed in both artistic style and story line. In the latest incarnations of the strip, Westy, Sam, and Chubb appear in supporting roles. Artists have included Manny Stallman and Frank Bolle and currently Mike Adair.

Publisher:
Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): tan cloth binding, black lettering on spine, red outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, pictorial DJ on coated paper, different for each book.
Whitman Publishing (1&2 only) as part of the 2300 series: textured composition binding in various colors, no illustrations, DJ in color, different for each book.
Artist: H.S. Barbour (all volumes)

"Pee-wee visits his uncle whose farm is located on a by-road, and conceives the idea of starting a little shack along the road in which to sell refreshments, etc. Scarcely has he started this little shack than the bridge upon the highway burns down and the country road becomes a thruway for automobiles"

"Pee-wee gets into the wrong automobile by mistake and is carried to the country where he has a great time and many adventures."

"The scene is set in the beloved and Familiar Temple Camp. Here Pee-wee resigns from the Raven Patrol, intending to start a patrol of his own. He finds this more difficult than he had expected, but overcomes all obstacles -- as usual."

"Pee-wee goes with his mother to spend the summer on a farm, where he meets a girl who is bewailing her fate that there is no society at this obscure retreat. Pee-wee assures her that he will fix everything for her -- and proceeds to do so -- with his usual success."

"A little spot of land up the river breaks away and floats down stream, with a laden apple tree growing upon it. Pee-wee takes possession of this island and the resulting adventures are decidedly entertaining."

"Pee-wee and his Patrol Leader set off on a trip to Temple Camp in an old flivver. But Temple Camp is not reached so readily when mishaps and adventures follow in rapid succession."

"Here we see Pee-wee in the role of a radio fan and never before did a radio cause such side-splitting complication."

In addition, these two stories are known to exist:
"Pee-Wee Harris Warrior Bold" (1930) - Boys' Life magazine serial
"Pee-Wee's Gold Brick" - an unpublished manuscript

Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Roy Blakeley Series In the character and adventures of Roy Blakeley are typefied the very essence of Boy life. He is a real boy, as real as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. He is the moving spirit of the troop of scouts of which he is a member, and the average boy has to go only a little way in the first book before Roy is the best friend he ever had, and he is willing to part with his best treasure to get the next book in the series. Grosset & Dunlap advertisement. Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (1-8): gray cloth binding, black lettering on spine, brown outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, same for each book. Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): red cloth binding, black lettering on spine, red outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, same for each book. Artists: Howard L. Hastings (1-7), R. Emmet Owen (8-10), H.S. Barbour (11-16), Charles Durant (17), Russel H. Tandy (18)	01: Roy Blakeley - 1920 02: Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp - 1920 03: Roy Blakeley, Pathfinder - 1920 04: Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels - 1920 05: Roy Blakeley's Silver Fox Patrol - 1920 06: Roy Blakeley's Motor Caravan - 1921 07: Roy Blakeley, Lost, Strayed, or Stolen - 1921 08: Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike - 1922 09: Roy Blakeley at the Haunted Camp - 1922 10: Roy Blakeley's Funny Bone Hike - 1923 11: Roy Blakeley's Tangled Trail - 1924 12: Roy Blakeley on the Mohawk Trail - 1925 13: Roy Blakeley Elastic Hike - 1926 14: Roy Blakeley's Roundabout Hike - 1927 15: Roy Blakeley's Happy-Go-Lucky Hike - 1928 16: Roy Blakeley's Go-As-You Please Hike - 1929 17: Roy Blakeley's Wild Goose Chase - 1930 18: Roy Blakeley Up in the Air - 1931
Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Roy Blakeley Series

In the character and adventures of Roy Blakeley are typefied the very essence of Boy life. He is a real boy, as real as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. He is the moving spirit of the troop of scouts of which he is a member, and the average boy has to go only a little way in the first book before Roy is the best friend he ever had, and he is willing to part with his best treasure to get the next book in the series.

Grosset & Dunlap advertisement.

Publisher:
Grosset & Dunlap (1-8): gray cloth binding, black lettering on spine, brown outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, same for each book.
Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): red cloth binding, black lettering on spine, red outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, same for each book.

Artists: Howard L. Hastings (1-7), R. Emmet Owen (8-10), H.S. Barbour (11-16), Charles Durant (17), Russel H. Tandy (18)

Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Tom Slade Series "Let your boy grow up with Tom Slade," is a suggestion which thousands of parents have followed during the past, with the result that the Tom Slade BOOKS are the most popular boys' books published today. They take Tom Slade through a series of typical boy adventures through his tenderfoot days as a scout, through his gallant days as an American doughboy in France, back to his old patrol and the old camp ground at Black lake, and so on." Grosset & Dunlap advertisement. Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (1-3): tan gray cloth binding, dark green lettering, plain endpapers, volume 1 has 13 illustrations taken from the photoplay, volumes 2 & 3 have fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper. Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): medium green cloth binding, black lettering on spine, brown outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, colorized photograph DJ on coated paper, different for every book. Whitman Publishing (1 & 2 only) as part of the 2300 series: textured composition binding in various colors, no illustrations, DJ in color, different for each book. Artists: photographs (1), Walter S. Rogers (2,3), Thomas Clarity (4,5), R. Emmet Owen (6,8,10,11), Howard L. Hastings (9,12-18), Ernest N. Townsend (19)	1: Tom Slade, Boy Scout (of the Moving Pictures) - 1915 "Of the Moving Pictures" was dropped from the title after the 1st edition. 2: Tom Slade at Temple Camp - 1917 3: Tom Slade on the River - 1917 4: Tom Slade with the Colors - 1918 5: Tom Slade on a Transport - 1918 6: Tom Slade with the Boys Over There - 1918 7: Tom Slade, Motorcycle Dispatch Bearer - 1918 8: Tom Slade with the Flying Corps - 1919 9: Tom Slade at Black Lake - 1920 10: Tom Slade on the Mystery Trail - 1921 11: Tom Slade's Double Dare - 1922 12: Tom Slade on Overlook Mountain - 1923 13: Tom Slade Picks a Winner - 1924 14: Tom Slade at Bear Mountain - 1925 15: Tom Slade, Forest Ranger - 1926 16: Tom Slade in the North Woods - 1927 17: Tom Slade at Shadow Isle - 1928 18: Tom Slade in the Haunted Cavern - 1929 19: The Parachute Jumper (A Tom Slade Story) - 1930
Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Tom Slade Series

"Let your boy grow up with Tom Slade," is a suggestion which thousands of parents have followed during the past, with the result that the Tom Slade BOOKS are the most popular boys' books published today. They take Tom Slade through a series of typical boy adventures through his tenderfoot days as a scout, through his gallant days as an American doughboy in France, back to his old patrol and the old camp ground at Black lake, and so on."

Grosset & Dunlap advertisement.

Publisher:
Grosset & Dunlap (1-3): tan gray cloth binding, dark green lettering, plain endpapers, volume 1 has 13 illustrations taken from the photoplay, volumes 2 & 3 have fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper.
Grosset & Dunlap (all volumes): medium green cloth binding, black lettering on spine, brown outlined with black lettering on front, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, colorized photograph DJ on coated paper, different for every book.
Whitman Publishing (1 & 2 only) as part of the 2300 series: textured composition binding in various colors, no illustrations, DJ in color, different for each book.

Artists: photographs (1), Walter S. Rogers (2,3), Thomas Clarity (4,5), R. Emmet Owen (6,8,10,11), Howard L. Hastings (9,12-18), Ernest N. Townsend (19)

"Of the Moving Pictures" was dropped from the title after the 1st edition.

Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Westy Martin Series "Westy Martin, known to every friend of Roy Blakely, appears as the hero of adventures quite different from those in which we have seen him participate as a Scout of Bridgeboro and of Temple Camp. On his way to Yellowstone the bigness of the vast West and the thoughts of the wild preserve that he is going to visit make him conscious of his own smallness and of the futility of "boy scouting" and woods lore in this great region. Yet he was to learn that if it had not been for his scout training he would never have been able to survive the experiences he had in those stories." Grosset & Dunlap advertisement Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap: red cloth binding, black lettering on spine, green lettering outlined in black on cover, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, different for each book. Artists: Richard Holberg (1-4), Howard L. Hastings (5-7), Mach Tey (8)	1: Westy Martin - 1924 2: Westy Martin in the Yellowstone - 1924 3: Westy Martin in the Rockies - 1925 4: Westy Martin on the Santa Fe Trail - 1926 5: Westy Martin on the Old Indian Trail - 1928 6: Westy Martin in the Land of the Purple Sage - 1929 7: Westy Martin on the Mississippi - 1930 8: Westy Martin in the Sierras - 1931 Out West with Westy Martin Four complete adventure books for boys in one volume Westy Martin - In the Yellowstone - In the Rockies - On the Santa Fe Trail
Click on any cover to enlarge it.

The Westy Martin Series

"Westy Martin, known to every friend of Roy Blakely, appears as the hero of adventures quite different from those in which we have seen him participate as a Scout of Bridgeboro and of Temple Camp. On his way to Yellowstone the bigness of the vast West and the thoughts of the wild preserve that he is going to visit make him conscious of his own smallness and of the futility of "boy scouting" and woods lore in this great region. Yet he was to learn that if it had not been for his scout training he would never have been able to survive the experiences he had in those stories."

Grosset & Dunlap advertisement

Publisher:
Grosset & Dunlap: red cloth binding, black lettering on spine, green lettering outlined in black on cover, plain endpapers, fp & 3 illustrations on coated paper, DJ on coated paper, different for each book.

Artists: Richard Holberg (1-4), Howard L. Hastings (5-7), Mach Tey (8)