| Former editors |
|
|---|---|
| Founder | James Henderson |
| Founded | 1871 |
| First issue | 1 January 1871 |
| Final issue | 29 April 1897 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Young Folks was a weekly children's literary magazine published in the United Kingdom between 1871 and 1897. Its publishing office was initially in Manchester, then relocated to London in 1873.[1] It is most notable for having first published a number of novels by Robert Louis Stevenson in serial form, including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Black Arrow.
It enjoyed a wide demographic appeal, as the test of time as shown, unique compared to contemporary publications. First sold for one half-penny with eight pages, the price was increased to one penny in 1873 and the page count increased to sixteen. Its motto was To Inform, To Instruct, To Amuse.[2]
Young Folks went under a number of different names in its 26-year history:
- Our Young Folks' Weekly Budget (1 January 1871 – 28 June 1879) (447 editions)
- Young Folks (5 July 1879 – 20 December 1884) (326 editions)
- Young Folks' Paper (27 December 1884 – 28 June 1891)
- Old and Young (4 July 1891 – 11 September 1896)
- Folks at Home (18 September 1896 – 29 April 1897)
The proprietor and sometimes editor of the magazine was James Henderson. Young Folks serialised Treasure Island in Volumes 19 and 20 from 1 October 1881 to 28 January 1882.[3] It ran under the title Treasure Island; or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola and under the pseudonym Captain George North. It made little difference to the sales of the magazine.[3] Robert Leighton recalled that: "The boy readers did not like the story. As a serial it was a failure. Boys like a story to plunge at once into the active excitement . . ."[4]
The Black Arrow—published under the same pseudonym—was serialised between 30 June and 30 October 1883. As a serial it was, unlike Treasure Island, a huge success.[1] Kidnapped was serialised in the magazine from May to July 1886.
- ^ a b Robert Louis Stevenson; John Sutherland (27 September 2007). "The Composition and Publication of the Black Arrow". The Black Arrow. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-190524-2.
- ^ a b c Laurel Brake; Marysa Demoor (2009). Dictionary of Nineteenth-century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland. Academia Press. p. 474. ISBN 978-90-382-1340-8.
- ^ a b Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton (3 November 2011). Children's Books in England: Five Centuries of Social Life. Cambridge University Press. p. 302. ISBN 978-1-108-03381-7.
- ^ Steuart, John Alexander (1928). "Unromantic Reality and Some Engaging Philosophy". Robert Louis Stevenson : a critical biography. p. 382. Retrieved 9 April 2020.