This encyclopedia is the first reference work to focus on the life and history of U.S. boyhood through the centuries. Coverage in the encyclopedia spans education, ethnicity, sports, work, religion, and health issues. The encyclopedia's expert contributors approach topics from many disciplines, including history, cultural studies, media studies, education, literature, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. It chronicles boys' activities, hobbies, and interests throughout history: from penny arcades to video games, fishing to drag racing, the Lone Ranger to G.I. Joe. It features entries on the inspirational boyhoods of Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Douglas, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among other prominent Americans, and discusses how each man's upbringing was representative of the experiences of his generation and social milieu. The encyclopedia analyzes the changing roles and relationships of boys as family members, wage earners, students, and among peers, and it addresses historical and contemporary causes of bullying, gang involvement, drug use, and suicide. Volume 1 contains alphabetical entries from A-K; Volume 2 contains entries from L-Z. (BT)