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The word "Boy" in the title of a Beadle publication was used for the first time in the Boys' Books of Romance and Adventure (Fig. 53). The first story was issued March 10, 1874, and was a reprint of "Robinson Crusoe" from the Dime Classic Stories, a special publication. It was illustrated with many small woodcuts by George G. White. All of the succeeding numbers were reprints of earlier Beadle novels or short sketches; six were reprinted from novels in Beadle's Dime Fiction, and twelve were reprints of the entire series of Tales, Traditions and Romance of Border and Revolutionary Times. The price was ten cents.
The booklets have "chromo" covers, the second series so embellished; the first experiment in that line being Starr's American Novels No. 138, issued a little over two weeks previously. In format they are square duodecimos, 9 by 5 3/4 inches in size, have 36 to 64 double-column leaded pages, and are printed on a rather poor quality of grayish paper. Within a double line box, the whole front cover is in most cases tinted. The center illustration is in color, apparently color stencilled. Some of the covers are quite attractive. At the top of the front page is the heading of the series enclosing a colored half-length picture of Robinson Crusoe with an umbrella. Below the central illustration is the title of the booklet and the name of the publisher, Beadle and Adams. No address is given here, although it is given as 98 William Street on the title page. Both inside pages of the wrappers are blank. The back page lists other numbers of the series. A few of the booklets are illustrated.
The series was short lived, the last number (21) appearing December 31, 1874.
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