Juvenile Nation: Youth, Emotions and the Making of the Modern British Citizen, 1880–1914 by Stephanie Olsen (review)

In the relatively new field of the history of the emotions, Olsen’s book might seem to have little to offer to those primarily interested in periodicals. However, such a view would be mistaken, as its investigation of the “informal education” system by which concepts of masculinity and citizenship were shaped focuses largely upon periodicals and the organisations that produced them. Olsen offers contextualised re-readings of familiar titles, such as the Boys’ Own Paper (1879–1969), as well as brief studies of less familiar magazines such as Onward (1865–1910) and the Young Crusader (1893–1915). She explores fin de siècle concerns about the cultural formation of future citizens in the generation before World War I, as well as broader worries about the individual’s place in the nation and empire amid fears of moral degeneracy.

By “informal education,” Olsen refers to instruction received outside of formal schooling, such as the sessions provided by the many voluntary organisations set up to work with young people, ranging from the Band of Hope (1847) to the Boy Scouts (1908). Another key element was the omnipresence of children’s periodical journalism. Olsen declares that “these informal influences are at least as important as formal channels of education for our understanding of the history of education, but have been significantly underdeveloped in the historiography” (7). Such emphasis on the importance of periodicals and their producers is welcome. Olsen also makes the valuable point that periodicals sponsored by such groups should be considered within the context of other activities sponsored by educational organisations. For example, she shows that the moral concerns of Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) underpinned his productions for boys. This strategy of contextualisation enables a deeper reading of periodicals and acts as a corrective to the mere “mining” of data which can be a risk, especially in digital research. Such magazines had a mission to counter the “subversive” influences of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, falling in line with a founder’s or sponsor’s deeply held beliefs. Harmsworth’s Boys’ Herald (1877–78), for example, featured coupons to attend a “Boys’ Herald Hobby Club” designed to keep youths usefully engaged and off the streets. While this may have been a circulation-boosting measure, it should not be assumed that this was its sole, or even its prime, purpose. Harmsworth’s Associated Press created several such organizations (such as the “League of Boy Friends”) that shared a common mission and offered examinations and competitions to train boys for their future careers and citizenship.

Olsen’s book is based on her PhD thesis, and at times this is evident in its introductory sections to the chapters, nods to theory and existing scholarship in the introduction, and frequent restatement of key arguments and their importance. However, this never obtrudes too much into the flow of reading, and it does ensure that any argument is well supported by examples and notes. The one chapter that looks outside the United Kingdom, “Recasting Imperial Masculinity: Informal Education and the Empire of Domesticity,” focuses on organisations and tracts, so the opportunity to explore colonial periodicals does not arise, which is disappointing. But the book is rich in other examples that act as reminders for seasoned readers and as an introduction to the range and interest of these magazines for those unfamiliar with the titles. High circulations and long runs, in many cases, should challenge the notion that children’s periodicals are “niche” publications, and Olsen convincingly establishes their importance. There are many incidental items of interest. For example, she mentions mechanisms of the market, such as subscription and localisation, which are still not fully explored. This brief coverage can at times be frustrating, reminding the reader that Olsen’s main interest does not lie in periodical studies.

Olsen’s most interesting point, for this reader, is her exploration of the “child exemplar,” who is depicted...