Boys' Life Magazine
History
In 1911, George S. Barton, of Somerville, Massachusetts, founded, edited,
and published the first edition of Boys' Life magazine, calling it
Boys' and Boy Scouts' Magazine. He was not referring to the Scouts
we envision today but to the three major competing Scouting organizations
of the time: the American Boy Scouts, New England Boy Scouts, and Boy Scouts
of America (BSA).
Barton's first issue of Boys' Life was published on January 1,1911.
"Volume 1, Number 1" was printed on the magazine's flag. However, very few
of the 5,000 printed copies actually reached the public. The more commonly
accepted first edition was published on March 1, 1911, following its expansion
from eight to 48 pages, a reduction in page size, and the addition of a two-color
cover.
To promote its "Learning to Read" program, the BSA purchased Boys' Life
from the George S. Barton & Company on June 10, 1912, for $6,000. The
first Boys' Life magazine edited at the BSA national office was the
July 1912 issue. Dr. James E. West, then Chief Scout Executive, served as
the BSA's first editor of the publication.
Content
Boys' Life Special Features
- Adventure Stories
- Bank Street Classics
- Entertainment
- Environmental Issues
- History
- Sports
- Codemaster
|
Comics
- Bible Stories
- Pedro
- Pee Wee Harris
- Scouts in Action
- Tiger Cubs
- Webelos Woody
|
Feature Columns
- Electronics
- Entertainment
- Fast Facts
- History
- Hitchin' Rack With Pedro the Mailburro
- Science
- Scouting Around
- Sports
|
Contributors
- Writers:
- Alex Haley, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Bashevis Singer, VanWyck
Brooks, Ernest Thompson Seton, Catherine Drinker Bowen, Robert Hienlein, Harrison
Salzbury, Isaac Asimov, John Tolan, Margaret Coit, John Knowles.
- Artists and Photographers:
- Norman Rockwell, Salvador Dali, Ansel Adams, Philippe Halsman, Joseph
Csatari.
- Noteworthy Testimonials:
- Orville Wright, Margaret Mead, Admiral Richard Byrd, Pearl S. Buck,
BobbyFischer
- Boys' Life Staff Members:
- J. Warren Young, publisher
J. D. Owen, editor in chief
James B. Wilson Jr., associate publisher
Price
With an annual subscription rate of $9 for members and $18 for nonmembers,
is one of the nBoys' Lifeation's least expensive youth magazines.
Statistics
| Paid circulation |
90,154,380 |
| Boys' Life magazines printed |
1,101,860,550 |
| Readers |
4,407,442,200 |
| Total publications issued |
1,068 |
| Total pages of Boys' Life |
72,864 |
For More Information
For more information about Boys' Life magazine, visit their Website:
http://www.boyslife.org/
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