Historic Records Limited loves the books that our ancestors read when they were young children. The Boy’s Own Paper was first published in 1878 and then bound into annuals, and we have a virtually complete run up to 1941. Of particular interest and enjoyment to us is the monthly Correspondence section which published answers to readers’ questions, but not the questions themselves. We can only guess what occasioned this response in November 1902: “Put the fish into the island pond, and do not tell anybody they are there. You cannot keep them alive, so you might as well give them a chance.”

The Captain, first published in 1899 and bound into six-monthly volumes, was very much targeted at grammar school and public-school boys, the magazine by-line stating that it was “For boys and old boys” and focusing on articles about cricket, rugby football, football and rowing. Later volumes published photos of school captains, many of these boys later going on to become captains of industry or, in all too many cases, falling on field of battle in the First or Second World War.

The Historic Records' Children's Annuals collection continues to grow, whilst our office continues to look less like an office and more like a second-hand bookshop.

Young England is another title which currently takes up several feet of shelf space. Launched in 1879 "for young people across the English-speaking world" it was published in London by the Sunday School Union, mixing fiction with educative articles. In volume 15, for instance, published in 1893, our late Victorian ancestors could learn about Eskimo sports and pastimes, a girl’s leisure time, and chasing a shark.

For more information about the Historic Records Children’s Annuals collection, and to explore licensing options, please contact us.