The Young Nimrods by Thomas Knox

The Young Nimrods is a two book series written by Thomas Knox and published by Harper and Brothers. The books are similar to the Boy Travellers in that they follow the adventures of two boys , in this instance, George and Harry.

The first book The Young Nimrods in North America (1881) was written to expose boys to "the ways of the hunter's life". This oversized book (9 x 7) has a cloth book appropriate cover with gold gilt. It is copiously illustrated with the pictures coming from other Harper's books.

The second book is The Young Nimrods Around the World (1882). This book again is designed to teach youngsters about natural history. In this book however the setting is the world not just North America.

These books were written contemporaneously with the Boy Travellers' Series and were not as popular as noted by the short series length.

Of interest , the word "nimrod" is defined as a skillful hunter in a humorous vein. I can honestly say I have never used this word or heard it used in conversation. Must be a 19th century thing.

Thomas Knox and the Boy Traveller Series

As noted yesterday, Thomas Knox wrote numerous books, a number of which were part of juvenile series. His most well read series was clearly the Boy Travellers.



This 15 book series was published by Harper and Brothers in large (9 x 7) volumes . The covers were well illustrated in multiple colors and gold gilt. Each cover was different with a book appropriate picture.
The text was supplemented with maps and copious numbers of pictures. Initially they were priced at $3.00 each-a high price for a book in those years. Although it is likely they had dust jackets , I have never seen one.







Here is the series.
The Boy Travellers
Adventures of Two Youths
1. In Japan and China 1879
2. In Siam and Java 1880
3. In Ceylon and India 1881
4. In Egypt and Palestine 1882
5. Through Africa 1883
6. in South America 1885
7. In the Russian Empire 1886
8. In the Congo 1887
9. In Australasia 1888
10. In Mexico 1889
11. In Great Britain 1890
12. In Northern Europe 1891
13. In Central Europe 1892
14. In Southern Europe 1893
15. In The Levant 1894

More Knox Series information tomorrow.

Thomas Knox and juvenile Series Books- Part 1

Adventure travelogues were a popular juvenile series in the late 19th century. One of the most realistic chronicled the adventures of Frank and Fred as the Boy Travellers. This 15 volume series was written by Colonel Thomas Knox (1835-1896)

Knox was quite a traveller himself. Initially his vocation was as a school teacher/principal in Kingston, New Hampshire. After two years he quit and moved to Colorado to "dig for gold". Later he worked as a writer for two local newspapers- Rocky Mountain News and the Western Mountaineer.

He joined the California National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel but was injured at a battle in Missouri.

After the war as an employee of the Russo-American Telegraph Company he went to Northern Asia on an expedition that was laying telegraph lines.

He embarked on a world tour in 1877. He visited with the King of Siam during that trip. Developing a relationship with the King that resulted in Knox' teaching the methods of American education to the King.

As opposed to Butterworth's Zig Zag Travel books, Knox' books were accurate to a fault. All of his facts were checked and double checked. The Boy Travellers' books were not as popular as other series travelogue books of the era perhaps because of the detailed facts packed into the books.


Harper and Bros. published these oversized (9 x7) volumes between 1879 and 1894.
Other series written by Thomas Knox included The Animal Series, Young Nimrod Series, 2 out of 4 books in the Travel Adventure Series and a book in the Boys and Girls Library of American Biography. He penned numerous other non series and adult books during his writing career.

Information on the individual series will follow.

References:

The Boyhood of Living Authors
By William Henry Rideing
Thomas Y Crowell 1887

The Travelogue Storybook of the 19th Century Virginia Havliand
The Horn Book, Inc. 1950

James A. Wren, “Thomas Wallace Knox (26 June 1835 – 6 January 1896),” American Travel Writers, 1850-1915, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume One Hundred Eighty-Nine, ed. Donald Ross and James J. Schramer (Detroit: A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book, Gale Research, 1998), 240.

A Bibliography of 19th Century Children's Series Books by Cary Sternick 2003