The Boy’s Own Paper, first published in 1879, was a weekly publication aimed at teen and preteen boys full of the sort of thing that would interest them — pets and nature, sports, collections, instructions for making things, and serialized fiction, often about boys having adventures in the far-flung reaches of the British Empire (presented, of course, as the pinnacle of civilization). It sold for one penny.
In 1893, at the age of twenty, my grandfather left London, England and emigrated to Canada. He ended up in southern Manitoba and settled down to farm. At some point he met my grandmother, another English immigrant, and they had three sons. It was probably for them that he sent back to England for his copies of the Boy’s Own Annual, the bound volumes of the Boy’s Own Paper.
I still have the annuals, but the cheap newsprint they are printed on is crumbling into little fragments, more so every time they are touched.
There were no advertisements, which would almost certainly have been the most interesting part of the BOP for us, but there was a correspondence section, where boys (and girls—girl readers were encouraged) could write in with questions and ask for advice. The letters were replied to by a gentleman who seemed to combine the broad-ranging knowledge of Wikipedia with the no-nonsense advice of Ann Landers. The gentleman was not above sarcasm.
Unfortunately the letters from the boys were not published, only the replies, so we often don’t know exactly what was being asked. Still, I plan to post them from time to time as published, cryptic or mundane, starting with the edition of Jan. 16, 1886. Feel free to comment.
