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We are just beginning to acquire information on American children's periodicals. There were such publications well before the Civil War (1861-65). Early magazines for children were heavily moralistic and this was reflected in the stories and features on history as well as current events, natural history, and other topics. The Civil
War inspired northern writers for children, especially, to focus even more on exciting stories of adventure and peril, although the old values and standards were often conspicuously and tediously present. Although there were certainly war-related
toys produced for children during the war, there was not a lot of cross-marketing, at least not much that I've found in my research. The juvenile magazines sometimes promoted other books and journals (if they were produced by the same publishers) and often offered "premiums" of subscriptions or small gifts (in the case of The Little Corporal, pictures of "Old Abe, the War Eagle") as rewards for selling subscriptions. I did come across an unusual piece of direct marketing of war-related items on the back pages of MAGNUS' UNIVERSAL PICTURE BOOKS, SERIES N. 1-12(New York: Charles Magnus, 1863). Advertised were paper soldiers, maps, bird's-eye views of battlefields, lithographed battle scenes, patriotic stationary, and "Fifty Lithographed Games and Twenty Four Lithographed Picture Books," apparently somehow connected to the war. The leading child's publication after the Civil War was St. Nichols Magazine which began publishing in 1873. Many important writers published stories in it and major illustrators drew for it. The magazine was so well done that many adults read it. There was an American publication entitled Boys' Own, published by Charles F. Richards, Boston Mass. This weekly started on October 11, 1873 and ran until about December, 1876. Jules Verne's Mysterious Island was serialized in this publication from December 5, 1874 through March 20, 1875. It was similar, but appears to have pre-dated the British Boys' Own Paper.
We are just beginning to acquire information on American children's periodicals. There were such publications well before the Civil War (1861-65). Early magazines for children were heavily moralistic and this was reflected in the stories and features on history as well as current events, natural history, and other topics. The Civil
War inspired northern writers for children, especially, to focus even more on exciting stories of adventure and peril, although the old values and standards were often conspicuously and tediously present.
Although there were certainly war-related
toys produced for children during the war, there was not a lot of cross-marketing, at least not much that I've found in my research. The juvenile magazines sometimes promoted other books and journals (if they were produced by the same publishers) and often offered "premiums" of subscriptions or small gifts (in the case of The Little Corporal, pictures of "Old Abe, the War Eagle") as rewards for selling subscriptions. I did come across an unusual piece of direct marketing of war-related items on the back pages of MAGNUS' UNIVERSAL PICTURE BOOKS, SERIES N. 1-12(New York: Charles Magnus, 1863). Advertised were paper soldiers, maps, bird's-eye views of battlefields, lithographed battle scenes, patriotic stationary, and "Fifty Lithographed Games and Twenty Four Lithographed Picture Books," apparently somehow connected to the war.
Quite a number of magazines in the United States have been published for children. There were both weekly and monthly magazines during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Many of these magazines hold a fascination for modern readers. While children's publications, they included the work of some of America's most respected illustrators and writers. Therecare wonderful short stories as well as serialized novels. There are articles by presidents--the most notable Theodore Roosevelt. And also of great interest are the wondeful array of period advertisements. We have information on only a few youth magazines tiles at this time. The most soried pf these magazines was probably St. Nicholas. The Youth's Companion was somewhat less popular, but still very important. The American Boy was also very important. St Nicholas declined sharply when it lost its the brilliant editorial guidance of Mary Mapes Dodge (1905). This made possible the growth of competitors.
Boys' Life is the official periodical publication of the American Boy Scout Association. The BSA began publishing Boys' Life in 1911. The magazine focuses heavily on Scouting, but is in fact a general interest magazine with informative articles and adventure stories and cartoons of interest to boys. The articles and stories cover a broad range of subjects from sports to history. The articles normally have photographs and the stories normally have illustrations. A good example is a hockey story we noted in 1932. Also included are Scout related articles such as how to use a compass, set up a camp, or pack a canoe. Special empasis is given to articles related to the more than 100 merit badges that Scouts can work on. This of course has varied over time, just as the content of the magazine has varied. Regular departments or features in the modern issues are: science, nature, earth, health, sports, space and aviation, cars, computers, entertainment, pets, history, music, and others. Most articles and stories are written with Scouts and Scout age boys in mind, but some material is written for the younger Cubs or the older Venture Scouts. The BSA subsidizes the cost of producing the magazine by selling commercial advertising space. The magazine is also rich in illustrations. In fact Norman Rockwell as a young illustrator drew for Boys' Life. Rockwell maintained this association with Scouting all his life. Another important illustrator was Louis Schroeder. These advertisments and illustrations given the long press run of the magazine make it a useful source of information to assess both changes in the Scout uniforms and regular boys' clothing over time. The circulation in 2004 was about 1.3 million.
There was an American publication entitled Boys' Own, published by Charles F. Richards, Boston Mass. This weekly started on October 11, 1873 and ran until about December, 1876. Jules Verne's Mysterious Island was serialized in this publication from December 5, 1874 through March 20, 1875. It was similar, but appears to have pre-dated the British Boys' Own Paper.
The leading child's publication after the Civil War was St. Nichols Magazine which began publishing in 1873. Many important writers published stories in it and major illustrators drew for it. The magazine was so well done that many adults read it.
"The Youth's Companion" described itself as "An Illustrated Weekly Paper For Young People and the Family, Established in 1827." It was published in Boston, Massachusetts, by the Perry Mason Company, 201 Columbus Avenue. We are not sure how lon it was publised, but we notice that it was still being published into the 1910s. The magazine catered to teen-age boys and girls especially, containing articles on sports, on hobbies, and
on various literary and cultural interests. But it was really a family magazine and had many advertisements for clothing, both adult and children's.
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