42-498: The Religious Tract Society was a British evangelical Christian organization founded in 1799 and known for publishing a variety of popular religious and quasi-religious texts in the 19th century. The society engaged in charity as well as commercial enterprise, publishing books and periodicals for profit. Periodicals published by the RTS included Boy's Own Paper , Girl's Own Paper and The Leisure Hour . In 1935, it merged into what
84-458: A means to encourage younger children to read and to instill Christian morals during their formative years. The first issue was published on 18 January 1879. The final issue, a "Special Souvenir Edition, Price 2/-", was dated February 1967 and was published on 27 January 1967. It was a facsimile reprint of the first issue, complete with adverts. It had a panel on the front cover giving a very brief history and stating that it would "appear in future as
126-557: A new imprint, Lutterworth Press , was formed, under which most of the society's subsequent publications appeared. In 1935, the society merged with the Christian Literature Society for India and Africa, later also incorporating the Christian Literature Society for China in 1941. The resulting entity was the United Society for Christian Literature, which, as of 2006, was continuing its mission, largely in
168-414: A sharp increase in the society's income. This shift was the subject of some criticism both within and outside the organization. Subscribers to the society raised concerns that their contributions were being used to subsidize books which were aimed at a middle-class audience and priced out of reach of the working-class families that represented the previous targets of the society's evangelical efforts. In 1825,
210-554: A sizeable publishing house, with more than 60 employees and a catalogue of more than 4,000 works in 110 languages. The earliest periodicals published by the society were Child's Companion; or, Sunday scholar's reward and Tract Magazine; or Christian Miscellany . Both debuted in 1824, and were issued monthly at a price of 1 penny , the former aimed at Sunday school students, and the latter at their parents. They had monthly sales of 28,250 and 17,000, respectively. The society's books were mostly small but did include larger works such as
252-693: A smaller format annual, under Jack Cox's editorship, were the Boy's Own Companion from 1959 through 1963, and the Boy's Own Annual II from 1964–65 through 1975–76. In 1939, the publication was taken over by Lutterworth Press , and in 1963 by Purnell and Sons Ltd. It was published at the end of its life in 1967 by BPC Publishing Ltd, who are believed to have started publishing the paper in 1965. The contents usually included adventure stories and stories about public school life; notes on how to practise nature study, sports and games; instructions for how to make items including canoes; puzzles and essay competitions. One of
294-513: A trombonist in the Tiffin School Band. R. Wilmot (New Malden, Surrey) Editor's Reply : We will bear the suggestion for an article on how to keep a girl friend in mind! In the meantime there is an article on keeping Golden Hamsters on pages 34 and 35 of this issue. Rosa Nouchette Carey Rosa Nouchette Carey (27 September 1840 – 9 July 1909) was an English children's writer and popular novelist, whose works reflected
336-480: A widowed brother and look after his children. Later the sister married and the brother died, leaving Carey in sole charge of the children. Among her close friends was the prolific novelist Mrs Henry Wood . The poet Helen Marion Burnside came to live with her in about 1875, and Carey's sister returned to keep house for them after her husband died. Carey died of lung cancer at her home in Putney , London on 19 July 1909 and
378-639: Is today the United Society for Christian Literature. The idea for the society came from the Congregationalist minister George Burder , who raised the idea while meeting with the London Missionary Society (founded in 1795) in May 1799. It was formally established on 10 May 1799, having a treasurer, a secretary, and ten committee members, with members required to "[subscribe] half a guinea or upwards annually". Its initial membership
420-657: The English Channel . In its first decade the paper promoted the British Empire as the zenith of civilisation and reflected the attitudes towards other races which were taken for granted in Britain at the time. In 1885, for example, it described its vision of "the typical negro": Readers frequently wrote in with questions to the paper: answers to these letters to the Editor were included in each edition although
462-466: The 1960s other occasional contributors included Isaac Asimov and the astronomer Patrick Moore , who contributed several articles about the solar system and would answer questions on astronomical matters in the "You Ask Us" section of the paper. From the first, the Boy's Own Paper had very inclusive editorial policies and practices. Issue No. 1 contained the first instalment of a serial by Mrs Eiloart , and over eighty named female authors followed over
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#1732772704294504-505: The BOY'S OWN ANNUAL, edited by Jack Cox". The paper was launched in January 1879 and published weekly until November 1913, when it became monthly. In total, 2451 issues of the paper were published. There was a separate Christmas Number (edition) of the magazine from 1884–85 until 1912–13 (29 in total) and a separate Summer Number from 1884–85 until 1900–01 (17 in total). These were not part of
546-504: The annual volumes. In many years the issue nearest Christmas was enlarged (as was the price) and billed as a Christmas special. From 1879 each year's issues were bound together and sold as the Boy's Own Annual . Volume 1 finished in September having completed 37 issues, then volume 2 started a cycle in which each volume followed the school year (Autumn through to Summer). In the initial years, readers were invited to purchase covers at
588-452: The decline to an increase in competition, and a decline in the influence of Christian evangelism and in the demand for religious literature. As the society entered the 20th century, its operations contracted. It reduced the funding it provided for foreign missionary work, and in 1930 reorganized all its operations into a single building. In the inter-war period, tract circulation had declined to one million, its lowest level since 1806. In 1932,
630-476: The end of the publishing year and have the weekly issues bound. This produced some interesting minor variations in order and contents. The Annuals included all the text in the weekly (and later monthly) issues, with additional illustrations. For reasons now unknown, volume 54 (1931-32) was limited to ten issues, so volumes 55 to 57 ran from August to July. Volume 58 started in August 1935 with parts 1 and 2, then
672-522: The following century. In its first year, the society had a catalogue of 34 distinct tracts, and printed 200,000 copies. Its output increased over the years, and by 1820 its catalogue included 279 tracts, and it was printing more than 5 million annually. From 1814, the society began publishing some tracts specifically for children. In the 1820s and 1830s, the society began commercially publishing bound books and periodicals for adults and children, shifting away from its previous focus on tracts, and leading to
714-540: The form of overseas missionary work. The R.T.S. issued a number of book series during the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of them were listed in the Society's catalogues. Boy%27s Own Paper The Boy's Own Paper was a British story paper aimed at young and teenage boys, published from 1879 to 1967. The idea for the publication was first raised in 1878 by the Religious Tract Society , as
756-400: The heroic content of the magazine's stories. Alternatively, many associate the magazine with well-intentioned heroes who do not have inhibitions about trying to right wrongs. In the 1989 book Great Work of Time , dealing with an alternative history of the British Empire , writer John Crowley depicts Cecil Rhodes as avidly reading Boy's Own Magazine when he was no longer a boy but at
798-457: The multi-volume Devotional Commentary and the massive Analytical Concordance to the Bible of Robert Young . In the 1840s, the society distributed 23 million books to working class households. From the 1860s, the Society began publishing novels aimed at women and children, providing a platform for a new generation of women writers, including Rosa Nouchette Carey . The society also published
840-472: The notable novel, Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. They reproduced Pilgrim's Progress, in many formats including; penny parts, Sunday School prize additions, and cheap abridgments. Income from the sale of the society's books and periodicals went into a decline in the 1890s. A report issued by the society attributed this to a "general depression [which] has severely affected the book trade", though no such depression existed. Historian Aileen Fyfe attributes
882-479: The original letter was never printed, leaving the reader to guess what the original question might have been. The responses given were often crushingly acerbic and to the point. Many prominent authors and personalities contributed to the paper. W. G. Grace wrote for several issues, as did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , Jules Verne and R. M. Ballantyne . Robert Baden-Powell , founder of the Scout Movement ,
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#1732772704294924-560: The peak of his empire-building career. The publication is mentioned in the 1997 David Bowie song 'Looking for Satellites' on the Earthling album. Bowie himself read it as a child. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron was described as a "Boy’s Own robot made of ham" in The Guardian in 2024. A small boy in one of our large industrial towns once asked me, 'What does it feel like to play for England?' I could see that he
966-456: The principles of the Christian religion, with the aim of spreading salvation to the masses. The society was interdenominational, including members belonging to most branches of Protestantism in Britain (such as Congregationalists, Baptists, and Quakers), as well as the established churches of England and Scotland; however, it excluded Roman Catholics and Unitarians. For the first 25 years of
1008-527: The society formally separated the accounting for its charitable and commercial work into what they termed a "Benevolent Fund" and "Trade Fund" in order to give greater transparency around how subscription funds were used. Beginning in 1835, the Trade Fund became entirely self-sufficient, with some profits from commercial publishing flowing into the Benevolent Fund. By the 1840s, the RTS had become
1050-528: The society's existence, its main activity was the publication and distribution of religious tracts. The first RTS tract was David Bogue's An Address to Christians, Recommending the Distribution of Cheap Religious Tracts , which listed seven recommendations for writing effective religious tracts, including that they be "plain", "striking", "entertaining", and "adapted to various situations and conditions" of its audience. These principles would tracts written in
1092-549: The stories in the opening issue was "My First Football Match", the first of many by Talbot Baines Reed set in public schools (Reed, who had not in fact attended such a school, later became the paper's first assistant editor ); and the first volume's serials included "From Powder Monkey to Admiral, or The Stirring Days of the British Navy". In the same volume, Captain Matthew Webb contributed an account of how he swam
1134-595: The values of her time and were thought of as wholesome for girls. However, they are "not entirely bereft of grit and realism." Born in Stratford-le-Bow , Rosa was the sixth of the seven children of William Henry Carey (died 1867), shipbroker, and his wife, Maria Jane (died 1870), daughter of Edward J. Wooddill. She was brought up in London at Tryons Road, Hackney, Middlesex and in South Hampstead. She
1176-510: The will", as advocated by the psychiatrist Henry Maudsley . One of her books, Heriot's Choice (1879), was serialised in Charlotte M. Yonge 's magazine The Monthly Packet and another, Mistress of Brae Farm (1896) in Argosy . She was a less intellectual, religious and humorous writer than Yonge, but placed her characters shrewdly in the populous urban, book-buying middle class. Carey
1218-439: The years, contributing short stories, serials, poems, practical articles ('Taming Baboons' for example), and accounts of personal adventures in many different parts of the world. In addition, the work of over twenty female illustrators was published. A number of the monthly coloured plates were by female artists such as Hilda Annetta Walker and Winifred Austen . Girl readers were positively encouraged, and "A.M.S." of Melbourne
1260-514: Was a regular columnist and urged readers "to live clean, manly and Christian lives". Less well-known writers included E. E. Bradford , W. E. Cule , Sid G. Hedges , William Gordon Stables and Hugh Pembroke Vowles . Edward Whymper contributed engravings (including the masthead). Gilbert Davey , who went on to publish Fun with Radio introduced many youngsters to a career in radio and electronics. Between 1941 and 61 there were 60 issues with stories about Biggles written by W. E. Johns . In
1302-574: Was also printed in Toronto , Ontario, Canada by the publisher W. Warwick and Sons. These editions were identical to the British editions except for a four-page "cover", dated one month later than the contents, which contained advertisements for Toronto businesses. Examples of these "reprints" have been noted for August 1884 and August 1885. In British popular culture, improbable or daring endeavours are often described as "Boy's Own stuff", in reference to
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1344-503: Was being repeated as late as 1930, when the Editor said "Needless to say, in this as in most things connected with the "B.O.P.", the word "boy" includes "girl." There was even an element of positive discrimination, as witnessed by this crushingly acerbic response to "Squirrel": "Don't ask so many questions again, please. Our limit is three for boys, and four for girls. But you coolly ask five. Go down below, sir, and have your hair cut!" Editors of Boy's Own Paper : The weekly issue
1386-696: Was buried in Hampstead Cemetery. Nellie's Memories appears to have sold over 50,000 copies. Most of her 33 three-decker novels told pious, domestic stories, thought of as wholesome fiction for girls in the last third of the 19th century. Often sentimental, they reflect the values of the period, "treating housekeeping and woman's caring role as real work." However, her 1869 novel Wee Wifie features vitriol-throwing, opium addiction, and hereditary insanity. Also notable are Carey's sympathetic portrayals of women suffering from mental illness. Several novels suggest mental health can be ensured by "control of
1428-555: Was drawn from the London Missionary Society, and included: At its formation, the society had support from bishops, including Shute Barrington (Durham) and Beilby Porteus (London). Founders of the RTS would go on to found the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. Initially, the society's only stated goal was the production and distribution across Britain of religious tracts —short pamphlets explaining
1470-559: Was educated at home and at the Ladies' Institute, St John's Wood , where she was a contemporary and friend of the German-born poet Mathilde Blind (1841–1896). Her first novel, Nellie's Memories (1868), arose out of stories she had told to her younger sister. As her writing career expanded after the death of her parents, so did her family responsibilities. When her mother died in 1870, she and an unmarried sister went to keep house for
1512-506: Was held until publication ceased in 1967. From 1855 through to 1920, there were over a dozen periodicals using the title Boy's Own or Boys' Own . The first and most influential was Samuel Beeton 's weekly Boy's Own Magazine , published from 1855 to 1890. Another was an American publication named The Boys' Own , published by Charles F. Richards in Boston , Massachusetts from October 1873 through December 1876. The Boy's Own Paper
1554-511: Was increased to 9d, 10d and then 1/-. That price remained unchanged until October 1935 when, as previously noted, it was halved to 6d. The price was increased to 8d in February 1941, again as a result of wartime inflation. Another increase in November 1941 took it to 9d, and that price was held until October 1950 when it was increased to 1/-. October 1963 saw the final increase to 2/-, which
1596-590: Was on the staff of the Girl's Own Paper , for which she wrote eight serials. She also wrote a laudatory biographical collection of Twelve Notable Good Women of the XIXth Century (1899), including Queen Victoria and the Quaker philanthropist and reformer Elizabeth Fry . The London publisher Macmillan had 18 novels by Carey on their Three-and-Sixpenny Library list in 1902. Some of her books were reprinted by
1638-427: Was priced at 1d but the coloured plates had to be purchased separately for 2d per month. However, from March 1879 the B.O.P. was also issued in monthly parts, containing the relevant weekly issues and including the coloured plates, for 6d. The monthly price continued unchanged until mid-1916 when, as a result of war-time inflation, it was increased to 7d. In August 1917 it was further increased to 8d, and during 1918 it
1680-579: Was puzzled and very, very interested. 'Do you play soccer, son?' I asked him. He nodded. 'Then you know what it's like to play for England. Every boy in England who does his best to play a good clean, worth-while game is playing for his country.' Stanley Matthews Most boys like to think they have a girl friend, especially the 13 to 14 year olds. I would like to see an article on how to get a girl, and when you've got her, how to keep and please her. I would also like to see more articles on music in B.O.P. as I am
1722-531: Was re-started at page 1 in October 1935, with another part 1. At the same time, the price was halved from one shilling to sixpence, and the number of pages was reduced from 64 to 48. The earlier parts 1 and 2 were not included in the Annual Volume or its index, leaving two 'orphan' issues. The Annuals ceased publication after the 1940–41 edition as a result of wartime paper rationing. Later attempts at
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1764-407: Was told "… you certainly need to make no apology to us for being "only a girl"!". From the beginning girls were eligible to enter the competitions, as witnessed in this slightly rueful editorial comment: "... it was our intention that the word "readers" should be construed in the broadest way, and that all coming within the stipulated age should be eligible, quite irrespective of sex…". This sentiment
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