Golden Days for Boys and Girls facts for kids

Golden Days for Boys and Girls was a popular weekly magazine for kids in the late 1800s. It came out every week along with another newspaper called Saturday Night. This magazine ran from March 6, 1880, until May 11, 1907. It only cost $3 a year to subscribe! A newspaper man named James Elverson (1838–1911) created it. He later owned a big newspaper called the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The very first issue of Golden Days printed three million copies. By the second issue, it already had 52,000 people subscribing. An advertisement from 1885 said that over 70,000 copies of the 16-page weekly were sold. Around 1888, sales were between 110,000 and 120,000 copies each week. The magazine was sent to homes all across the United States.

What Was Inside Golden Days?

Golden Days was filled with stories, fun activities, and lessons. Many of the stories were written for either boys or girls. This was a way to make sure people kept buying the magazine every week. The stories often covered themes like school, sports, and adventures in the American West. They also featured travel, exploration, and success stories.

Fun Features and Lessons

The magazine also had special sections for its young readers:

• Puzzledom: This was a weekly page full of puzzles to solve.
• The Letter Box: Here, the magazine gave advice and answered questions from its readers.
• International Lessons: This section offered a weekly Bible lesson and devotional. Important religious leaders like Rev. D. P. Kidder and Rev. C. E. Strobridge wrote these lessons.

Golden Days was a good choice for parents and religious leaders. It offered stories that were different from the "dime novels" of the time. These other novels, like those by Frank Tousey and Norman Munro, sometimes had stories that were too violent or not suitable for young readers. Golden Days provided a safer and more educational option.

Who Wrote for Golden Days?

Many different authors wrote stories and articles for Golden Days. Here is a list of some of them:

• Horatio Alger, Jr.
• L. E. Bailey
• William Perry Brown
• Wilton Burton
• Harry Castlemon
• William Pendleton Chipman
• Frank H. Converse
• George H. Coomer
• John Russell Coryell
• John W. Davidson
• Edward S. Ellis
• W. Bert Foster
• William Murray Graydon
• Edward Greey
• Charles H. Heustis
• Fred E. Janette
• Dr. Willard Mackenzie
• L.M. Montgomery
• Emma A. Opper
• Oliver Optic
• James Otis Kaler
• Celia Pearse
• St. George Rathborne
• Evelyn Raymond
• Victor St. Clair
• Edward Shippen, M.D.
• James H. Smith
• Frank R. Stockton
• Edward Stratemeyer
• Rose Hartwick Thorpe
• Mary T. Waggaman
• Matthew White, Jr.
• John H. Whitson
• Fannie Williams
• Ernest A. Yong