Horatio Alger， Jr. (January 13， 1832 – July 18， 1899) was a 19th-century American author who wrote approximately 135 dime novels. Many of his works have been described as rags to riches stories， illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American dream of wealth and success through hard work， courage， determination， and concern for others. This widely-held view involves a significant simplification， as Alger’s characters do not typically achieve extreme wealth; rather they attain middle-class security， stability， and a solid reputation — that is， their efforts are rewarded with a place in society， not domination of it. He is noted as a significant figure in the history of American cultural and social ideals， even though his novels are rarely read these days. As bestsellers in their own time， Alger’s books rivaled those of Mark Twain in popularity.

Works

Cover of a 1900 New York edition of Adrift in New York by Horatio Alger， Jr.Abraham Lincoln: the Backwoods Boy; or， How A Young Rail-Splitter Became President (1883)
Adrift in New York; or， Tom and Florence Braving the World (1904)
Adrift in the City; or， Oliver Conrad’s Plucky Fight (1902)
Andy Gordon; or， The Fortunes of a Young Janitor (1909)
Andy Grant’s Pluck (1902)
Ben Bruce. Scenes in the Life of a Bowery Newsboy (1901)
Ben Logan’s Triumph; or， The Boys of Boxwood Academy (1908)
Ben’s Nugget; or， A Boy’s Search for Fortune (1882)
Ben The Luggage Boy; or， Among the Wharves (1870)
Bernard Brooks’ Adventures. The Story of a Brave Boy’s Trials (1903)
Bertha’s Christmas Vision. An Autumn Sheaf (1856)
Bob Burton; or， The Young Ranchman of the Missouri (1888)
Bound to Rise; or， Up the Ladder (1873)
A Boy’s Fortune; or， The Strange Adventures of Ben Baker (1898)
Brave and Bold; or， The Fortunes of Robert Rushton (1874)
The Cash Boy (1887)
Cast Upon the Breakers (1893)
Charlie Codman’s Cruise. A Story for Boys (1866)
Chester Rand; or， A New Path to Fortune (1903)
The Cousin’s Conspiracy
Dan， the Detective (1884)
Dean Dunham; or， The Waterford Mystery (1891)
A Debt of Honor. The Story of Gerald Lane’s Success in the Far West (1900)
Digging for Gold. A Story of California (1892)
The Disagreeable Woman; A Social Mystery (1895)
Do and Dare; or A Brave Boy’s Fight for Fortune (1884)
Driven from Home (1889)
The Erie Train Boy (1890)
The Errand Boy; or， How Phil Brent Won Success (1888)
Facing the World; or， The Haps and Mishaps of Harry Vane (1893)
Fair Harvard (book) (1852)
Falling in With Fortune; or， The Experiences of a Young Secretary (1900)
Fame and Fortune; or， The Progress of Richard Hunter (1868)
A Fancy of Hers (1892)
Finding a Fortune (1904)
Five Hundred Dollars; or， Jacob Marlowe’s Secret (1890)
Forging Ahead (1903)
Frank and Fearless; or， The Fortunes of Jasper Kent (1897)
Frank Hunter’s Peril (1896)
Frank’s Campaign; or， What Boys can do on the Farm for the Camp (1864)
From Canal Boy to President; or， The Boyhood and Manhood of James A. Garfield (1881)
From Farm Boy to Senator: Being the History of the Boyhood and Manhood of Daniel Webster (1882)
From Farm to Fortune; or Nat Nason’s Strange Experience (1905)
Grand’ther Baldwin’s Thanksgiving (1875)
Grit， The Young Boatman
Hector’s Inheritance; or， The Boys of Smith Institute (1885)
Helen Ford (1866)
Helping Himself; or， Grant Thornton’s Ambition (1886)
Herbert Carter’s Legacy; or， The Inventor’s Son 1875)
In a New World; or， Among the Gold-Fields of Australia (1893)
Jack’s Ward; or， The Boy Guardian (1875)
Jed， The Poor House Boy (1899)
Jerry the Backwoods Boy; or， The Parkhurst Treasure (1904)
Joe the Hotel Boy， or Winning Out by Pluck (1906)
Joe’s Luck; or Always Wide Awake (1913)
John Maynard: A Ballad of Lake Erie January (1868)
Julius; or， The Street Boy out West (1874)
Lester’s Luck (1901)
Lost at Sea; or， Robert Roscoe’s Strange Cruise (1904)
Luck And Pluck; or， John Oakley’s Inheritance (1869)
Luke Walton; or， The Chicago Newsboy (1889)
Making His Way (1901)
Marie Bertrand (1864)
Mark Manning’s Mission. The Story of a Shoe Factory Boy (1905)
Mark Mason’s Victory; or， The Trials and Triumphs of a Telegraph Boy (1899)
Mark Stanton (1890)
Mark the Match Boy; or， Richard Hunter’s Ward (1869)
Ned Newton; or， The Fortunes of a New York Bootblack (1890)
Nelson the Newsboy; or， Afloat in New York (1901)
A New York Boy (1890)
The New Schoolma’am; or， A Summer in North Sparta (anonymous 1877)
Nothing to Do: A Tilt at Our Best Society (1857)
Nothing To Eat (1857)
Number 91; or， The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy (1887)
The Odds Against Him; or， Carl Crawford’s Experience (1890)
Only an Irish Boy; Or， Andy Burke’s Fortunes and Misfortunes (1894)
Out for Business; or， Robert Frost’s Strange Career (1900)
Paul Prescott’s Charge: A Story for Boys (1865)
Paul the Peddler; or the Fortunes of a Young Street Merchant (1871)
Phil the Fiddler; or， The Story of a Young Street Musician (1872)
Ragged Dick; or， Street Life in New York with the Bootblacks (1868)
Ralph Raymond’s Heir; or， The Merchant’s Crime (1869)
Randy of the River; or， The Adventures of a Young Deckhand (1906)
Risen from the Ranks; or， Harry Walton’s Success (1874)
Robert Coverdale’s Struggle; or， On the Wave of Success (1910)
A Rolling Stone; or， The Adventures of a Wanderer (1902)
Rough and Ready; or， Life Among the New York Newsboys (1869)
Rufus and Rose; or， The Fortunes of Rough and Ready (1870)
Rupert’s Ambition (1899)
Sam’s Chance; and How He Improved It (1876)
Seeking His Fortune， And Other Dialouges (1875)
Shifting for Himself; or， Gilbert Greyson’s Fortune’s (1876)
Silas Snobden’s Office Boy (1899)
Sink or Swim; or， Harry Raymond’s Resolve (1870)
Slow and Sure; or， From the Street to the Shop (1872)
The Store Boy; or， The Fortunes of Ben Barclay (1887)
St. Nicholas (novel) (1875)
Strive and Succeed; or， The Progress of Walter Conrad (1872)
Striving for Fortune; or， Walter Griffith’s Trials and Successes (1902)
Strong and Steady; or， Paddle Your Own Canoe (1871)
Struggling Upward; or， Luke Larkin’s Luck (1868)
Tattered Tom; or， The Story of a Street Arab (1871)
The Telegraph Boy (1879)
Timothy Crump’s Ward; or， The New Years Loan， And What Became of It (1866)
The Tin Box
Tom， The Boot Black
Tom Brace: Who He Was and How He Fared (1901)
Tom Temple’s Career (1888)
Tom Thatcher’s Fortune (1888)
Tom Tracy (1888)
Tom Turner’s Legacy (1902)
Tony the Hero (1880)
Tony， The Tramp
The Train Boy (1883)
Try and Trust; or， The Story of a Bound Boy (1873)
Victor Vane， The Young Secretary (1894)
Voices of the Past (1849)
Wait and Hope; or， Ben Bradford’s Motto (1877)
Wait and Win. The Story of Jack Drummond’s Pluck (1908)
Walter Sherwood’s Probation (1897)
A Welcome to May May (1853)
The Western Boy; or， The Road to Success (1878)
The World Before Him (1902)
Wren Winter’s Triumph
The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus (1888)
The Young Adventurer; or， Tom’s Trip Across the Plains (1878)
The Young Bank Messenger (1898)
The Young Boatman of Pine Point (1892)
The Young Book Agent; or， Frank Hardy’s Road to Success (1905)
Young Captain Jack; or， The Son of a Soldier (1901)
The Young Circus Rider; or， The Mystery of Robert Rudd (1883)
The Young Explorer; or， Among the Sierras (1880)
The Young Miner; or， Tom Nelson in California (1879)
The Young Musician; or， Fighting His Way (1906)
The Young Outlaw; or， Adrift In The Streets (1875)
The Young Salesman (1896)

[edit] Notes
^ Richard Huber， The American Idea of Success (New York: McGraw-Hill， 1971)， pp 45-46
^ UUA biography of Horatio Alger [1]
^ "Allegations of pederasty taint Horatio Alger fair" Colombia Daily Tribune， October 1， 2006

[edit] Resources
Scharnhorst， Gary; and Jack Bales (1981). Horatio Alger， Jr.: An Annotated Bibliography of Comment and Criticism. Metuchen， NJ: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1387-8.?
Scharnhorst， Gary; with Jack Bales (1985). The Lost Life of Horatio Alger， Jr. Bloomington: Indiana University Press