KELLY BOYD is a Senior Lecturer in History and American Studies at Middlesex University, London. She edited the Encyclopaedia of Historians and Historical Writing and has published articles on masculinity and boys' reading.

'It is a painstaking, purposeful and detailed commentary on the concept of masculinity as purveyed in the boys' periodical...' - Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement 'This is a well-written book and could easily be finished in one sitting. But it is also a monograph that is packed with new interpretations and intelligent re-assessments. Cultural and gender historians of this period will be rewarded by giving this book their closest scrutiny.' - Professor Stephen Heathorn, Indiana University, Indianapolis

• Acknowledgements Introduction: Fiction for the Working Lad PART I: READERS AND WRITERS Boys' Lives: Boys' Education, Work and Leisure, 1855-1940 Publishers and Strategies: From Family Firms to Mass Marketing PART II: 'REVEL IN YOUR BOYHOOD': VARIETIES OF MASCULINITY Victorian Manliness, Upper-Class Heroes and the Ideal of Character, 1855-1900 The Democratization of Manliness at the Turn of the Century, 1880-1920 Balance, Self-Control and Obedience in the Interwar Years PART III: MANLINESS AND THE 'OTHER' 'Manhood Achieved': Imperialism, Racism and Manliness Comrades, Chums and Competitors: Images of Women in the Boys' Story Paper Conclusion: On Heroes and Hero Worship Notes Bibliography Index

KELLY BOYD is a Senior Lecturer in History and American Studies at Middlesex University, London. She edited the Encyclopaedia of Historians and Historical Writing and has published articles on masculinity and boys' reading.

'It is a painstaking, purposeful and detailed commentary on the concept of masculinity as purveyed in the boys' periodical...' - Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement 'This is a well-written book and could easily be finished in one sitting. But it is also a monograph that is packed with new interpretations and intelligent re-assessments. Cultural and gender historians of this period will be rewarded by giving this book their closest scrutiny.' - Professor Stephen Heathorn, Indiana University, Indianapolis

• Acknowledgements Introduction: Fiction for the Working Lad PART I: READERS AND WRITERS Boys' Lives: Boys' Education, Work and Leisure, 1855-1940 Publishers and Strategies: From Family Firms to Mass Marketing PART II: 'REVEL IN YOUR BOYHOOD': VARIETIES OF MASCULINITY Victorian Manliness, Upper-Class Heroes and the Ideal of Character, 1855-1900 The Democratization of Manliness at the Turn of the Century, 1880-1920 Balance, Self-Control and Obedience in the Interwar Years PART III: MANLINESS AND THE 'OTHER' 'Manhood Achieved': Imperialism, Racism and Manliness Comrades, Chums and Competitors: Images of Women in the Boys' Story Paper Conclusion: On Heroes and Hero Worship Notes Bibliography Index

KELLY BOYD is a Senior Lecturer in History and American Studies at Middlesex University, London. She edited the Encyclopaedia of Historians and Historical Writing and has published articles on masculinity and boys' reading.

'It is a painstaking, purposeful and detailed commentary on the concept of masculinity as purveyed in the boys' periodical...' - Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement 'This is a well-written book and could easily be finished in one sitting. But it is also a monograph that is packed with new interpretations and intelligent re-assessments. Cultural and gender historians of this period will be rewarded by giving this book their closest scrutiny.' - Professor Stephen Heathorn, Indiana University, Indianapolis

• Acknowledgements Introduction: Fiction for the Working Lad PART I: READERS AND WRITERS Boys' Lives: Boys' Education, Work and Leisure, 1855-1940 Publishers and Strategies: From Family Firms to Mass Marketing PART II: 'REVEL IN YOUR BOYHOOD': VARIETIES OF MASCULINITY Victorian Manliness, Upper-Class Heroes and the Ideal of Character, 1855-1900 The Democratization of Manliness at the Turn of the Century, 1880-1920 Balance, Self-Control and Obedience in the Interwar Years PART III: MANLINESS AND THE 'OTHER' 'Manhood Achieved': Imperialism, Racism and Manliness Comrades, Chums and Competitors: Images of Women in the Boys' Story Paper Conclusion: On Heroes and Hero Worship Notes Bibliography Index