Category:Herbert Strang's Annual

Title: Herbert Strang’s Annual

Editor: George Herbert Ely, Charles James L’Estrange

Publisher: Oxford Press

Herbert Strang’s Annual is a yearly magazine published in the early twentieth century. Its contributing writers were strictly men. The name “Herbert Strang” was the pseudonym of George Herbert Ely and Charles James L’Estrange, two English authors who worked for the Oxford University Press. They also wrote and created numerous other publications and annuals. The audience for the Annual was young, active boys (from ages as young as eight to as old as eighteen). Its covers were illustrated with images of boys in adventurous poses. It contains a variety of articles: adventure stories of cowboys, pirates, sailing, hunting, sporting events, and friends. It also included historical articles about ships, various battles, historic heroes, etc. The Annual includes instructional articles as well. These articles explain how to do certain sports correctly (for example, wrestling), gives explanations behind scientific processes, and tells how to build something as well as explaining the engineering behind larger vessels (such as ships). The overall goal was to promote wholesome recreation, increase knowledge about subjects deemed appropriate for male youths, and also to spread political propaganda in favor of Britain. This publication did not contain advertisements, but some of the articles themselves promoted certain activities.

Submitted by: Aagard, Amanda: section 1, Winter 2009