Young Folks (magazine) facts for kids

Young Folks was a popular weekly magazine for young people in the United Kingdom. It was published every week from 1871 to 1897. The magazine started in Manchester but moved to London in 1873.

Young Folks is famous because it was the first place where many stories by the well-known author Robert Louis Stevenson appeared. These stories were published bit by bit, like a TV show, over several weeks or months. Some of his most famous novels, like Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Black Arrow, first appeared in Young Folks.

The magazine was made for both boys and girls. It was aimed at slightly older kids than many other magazines at the time. When it first started, it cost half a penny and had eight pages. In 1873, the price went up to one penny, and it had sixteen pages. Its main goal was to Inform, To Instruct, To Amuse its readers.

Magazine Names Over Time

Over its 26 years, Young Folks had a few different names:

• Our Young Folks' Weekly Budget (from January 1, 1871, to June 28, 1879) – This name was used for 447 issues!
  • It was also known as Young Folks' Weekly Budget (between 1876 and 1879)
  • And as Young Folks' Budget (in 1879)
• Young Folks (from July 5, 1879, to December 20, 1884) – This version had 326 issues.
• Young Folks' Paper (from December 27, 1884, to June 28, 1891)
• Old and Young (from July 4, 1891, to September 11, 1896)
• Folks at Home (from September 18, 1896, to April 29, 1897)

Famous Stories in Young Folks

The owner and sometimes editor of the magazine was James Henderson. He helped bring many exciting stories to young readers.

Treasure Island Series

Treasure Island was published in Young Folks from October 1, 1881, to January 28, 1882. It appeared in Volumes 19 and 20 of the magazine. The story was called Treasure Island; or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola. It was published under a fake name, or pseudonym, Captain George North.

Interestingly, publishing Treasure Island didn't make the magazine sell much more. An author named Robert Leighton remembered that "The boy readers did not like the story. As a serial it was a failure." He explained that "Boys like a story to plunge at once into the active excitement . . ." This means they wanted action right away!

The Black Arrow Series

The Black Arrow was also published under the same fake name, Captain George North. It appeared in the magazine from June 30 to October 30, 1883. Unlike Treasure Island, The Black Arrow was a huge hit as a serial story.

Kidnapped Series

Another one of Stevenson's famous novels, Kidnapped, was published in Young Folks from May to July 1886.

Editors of the Magazine

The magazine had several people who worked as editors, guiding what stories and articles were published.

Other important editors included Clinton Leighton and Richard Quittenton. Richard Quittenton wrote under the pseudonym Roland Quiz and worked on the magazine for a very long time – 42 years!