This study investigates the historical construction of the 'problem' of male working-class youth in Britain between 1880 and 1920. Harry Hendrick, a scholar of social history, utilizes archival records, contemporary social commentary, and legislative documents to argue that the adolescent male was a central figure in the anxieties of late Victorian and Edwardian society. The book posits that the perceived moral and economic threats posed by these youths were instrumental in shaping modern social policy and institutional responses.

Historians and sociologists frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the historical origins of modern youth policy. Experts highlight the author's meticulous use of primary sources to contextualize the social anxieties of the era.