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 The Dangerous Book for Boys, U.S. edition. By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Published by Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN-13:  978-0-06-124358-5. 270 pages. $24.95

   A caution to parents is listed on the publishing information page:
   “Note to Parents: This book contains a number of activities which may be dangerous, if not done exactly as directed or which may be inappropiate for young children. All of these activities should be carried out under adult supervision only. The authors and publishers expressly disclaim liability for any injury or damages that result from engaging in the activities contained in this book.”
   Indeed, there are dangerous elements in the book: bows and arrows! Artillery! Catapults! Famous battles — in two parts! Timers and tripwires! Hunting and cooking a rabbit!
But there’s much more than that. It also studies questions about the world, grammar, Extraordinary Stories, Books Every Boy Should Read and the scariest topic of all: Girls.
In an age of scheduled “play dates,” hermetically sealed foods and full body armor to go outside, what this book represents certainly could be frightening to some parents.
   The Dangerous Book for Boys is not only a spillway of information on growing up boy, its contents for the intended “Boys” takes hold of the adult who has fond recollections of having been there and done that or wishing he had been there and done that.
   Taking the book, turning through the pages, the chapters melt into your hands, going beyond the scope of the intended “BOYS.”
   In response to this book the British Press released a female version, as one must in these times, and the reception was basically, why did you bother.
   The book’s concept encompasses so much of what parents today dwell on: “They don’t come with a manual.”
   The authors are humble enough to admit the subject is endless. What “The Dangerous Book for Boys” provides are concise, not overbearing, contents that make this journey a smooth sail. Part of the appeal could be for the adult to identify and think, “I want to make sure the child learns this. I wish I had known this when I was growing up.”
   Examples – these can be seen in the preface: “I Didn’t Have This Book When I Was a Boy.”
Longitude and Latitude … understanding how this works.
   How do you make secret ink?
   Then there are instructions on table football. Coin tricks. Seven poems every boy should know. Skipping stones. Juggling. Essential Gear, which includes everything you need to survive should one be left to his own instincts should he find himself on his own.
   The authors, brothers Conn and Hall Iggulden, are passionate about these “rites of passage.”
To read their preface, one can see that the young boy/child that still is within us jumps back in time with every page. Could this be the broad appeal of this wonderful about this book?
   To compare, “The Book of Virtues,” which had a great run, is more complex. What these authors do is make the experiences simple so everyone feels as if they can accomplish these very important ideas to help shape your childhood memory. Hence, an interactive experience without the computer.
   People may know of Conn Iggulden as the author of the “Emperor” series or “Blackwater.”