Boys' Own
Encyclopedia
Boys' Own or Boy's Own or Boys Own, is the title of a varying series of similarly titled magazine
s, story paper
s, and newsletter
s published at various times and by various publishers, in the UK and the U.S., from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, for pre-teen and teenage boys.
, and in 1829 in Boston
, an encyclopedia
for boys by William Clarke was published, titled The Boy's Own Book: A Complete Encyclopedia of all the Diversions, Athletic, Scientific, and Recreative, of Boyhood and Youth. According to sports historian Robert William Henderson, "It was a tremendous contrast to the juvenile books of the period, which emphasized piety, morals and instruction of mind and soul; it must have been received with whoops of delight by the youngsters of both countries." The encyclopedia was frequently updated and reprinted through the end of the century.
Beginning with Samuel Beeton's Boy's Own Magazine, published from 1855 to 1890, the first gender-specific boys' magazine
s emerged, with the aim of both entertaining and building character. The fun and educational Boys' Own-type magazines, created by various publishers from 1855 through 1920, helped shape ideas of masculinity in the youth of that period.
Titles of some of the other varying magazine franchises called "Boys Own", which total more than 15 different publications, included Boys' Own Journal, Boys' Own Library, Boy's Own Paper, The Boys' Own, Boys' Own Times and News of the World, etc. The most long-lived of the magazines was Boy's Own Paper
, which was published from 1879 through 1967, becoming a British institution. The phrase "real Boys Own stuff" is still used in Britain to describe exciting feats of derring-do.
and adventure tales. The magazines could also contain nonfiction stories and adventure
s, nonfiction and how-to
instructional articles, and articles similar to scouting or Boy Scout
activities. Contents also included articles on sports, articles on boys school life, and also detective fiction
, Western fiction
, science fiction
, and other genres of interest to boys.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, story paper
Story paper
*This article is about British Story papers. For the U.S. version, see Dime novel.A story paper is a periodical publication similar to a literary magazine, but featuring illustrations and text stories, and aimed towards children and teenagers...
s, and newsletter
Newsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
s published at various times and by various publishers, in the UK and the U.S., from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, for pre-teen and teenage boys.
History
In 1828 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in 1829 in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, an encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
for boys by William Clarke was published, titled The Boy's Own Book: A Complete Encyclopedia of all the Diversions, Athletic, Scientific, and Recreative, of Boyhood and Youth. According to sports historian Robert William Henderson, "It was a tremendous contrast to the juvenile books of the period, which emphasized piety, morals and instruction of mind and soul; it must have been received with whoops of delight by the youngsters of both countries." The encyclopedia was frequently updated and reprinted through the end of the century.
Beginning with Samuel Beeton's Boy's Own Magazine, published from 1855 to 1890, the first gender-specific boys' magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s emerged, with the aim of both entertaining and building character. The fun and educational Boys' Own-type magazines, created by various publishers from 1855 through 1920, helped shape ideas of masculinity in the youth of that period.
Titles of some of the other varying magazine franchises called "Boys Own", which total more than 15 different publications, included Boys' Own Journal, Boys' Own Library, Boy's Own Paper, The Boys' Own, Boys' Own Times and News of the World, etc. The most long-lived of the magazines was Boy's Own Paper
Boy's Own Paper
The Boy's Own Paper was a British story paper aimed at young and teenage boys, published from 1879 to 1967.-Publishing history:The idea for the publication was first raised in 1878 by the Religious Tract Society as a means to encourage younger children to read and also instil Christian morals...
, which was published from 1879 through 1967, becoming a British institution. The phrase "real Boys Own stuff" is still used in Britain to describe exciting feats of derring-do.
Content
The contents of the various magazine titles consisted largely of boyish and manly fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and adventure tales. The magazines could also contain nonfiction stories and adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
s, nonfiction and how-to
How-to
A how-to or a how to is an informal, often short, description of how to accomplish some specific task. A how-to is usually meant to help non-experts, may leave out details that are only important to experts, and may also be greatly simplified from an overall discussion of the topic...
instructional articles, and articles similar to scouting or Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
activities. Contents also included articles on sports, articles on boys school life, and also detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, Western fiction
Western fiction
Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, and other genres of interest to boys.