John Smilek says this will be the year. On the 100th anniversary of the first Boy Scouts of America merit badge pamphlet being published he and other collaborators will publish a full reference guide for collecting this niche in the hobby. The guide will include thousands of pictures and a complete explanation of the different types and sub-types issued through the years. In this interview John explains the history of these utilitarian books including the answer to a good trivia question. For what merit badge was the first ever pamphlet published in 1919? The answer will surprise you. There is also a companion video of this interview located on my website at http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com.