ABSTRACT
Romances of the Middle Ages, such as the tales of Robin Hood and the story of Bevis of Hampton, seem to have been the earliest forms of adventure stories British children enjoyed. In 1814, Sir Walter Scott produced his first historical romance, Waverley, in which he showed that exciting adventures need not only be set on desert islands, but could be just as thrilling when set in the past. Many middle-class Victorian children, particularly boys, shared their parents’ interests in the Empire, expecting to work there when they left school, in commerce, the armed forces or as public servants. H. G. Kingston was succeeded as editor of the significantly named periodical The Union Jack: Tales for British Boys, a penny weekly devoted to adventure stories, by G. A. Henty. Religious didacticism is not so apparent in adventure stories produced in the second half of the nineteenth century as in earlier books.
