Best Selling Books by Horatio Alger

Reproduction of the original: Cast upon the Breakers by Horatio Alger

Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) was a 19th-century American author of approximately 135 dime novels. Many of his works are rags-to-riches stories of down-and-out boys who achieve success through hard work and moral virtue.

Horatio Alger Jr. was a prolific American author in the 19th century. Alger''s books were noted for the type of "rags to riches" narrative that were common with the Gilded Age in America. From Canal Boy to President is a classic fictional biography of James Garfield, the 20th president of the United States.

Reproduction of the original: Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger

Sixteen-year-old Paul Palmer, who sells newspapers and magazines on the train to support his widowed mother and younger sister, achieves financial prosperity after spoiling the unsavory schemes of several swindlers.

From the 1860''s through the 1890s, Horatio Alger wrote hundreds of novels to teach young boys the merits of honesty, hard work, and cheerfulness in the face of adversity. As Carl Bode points out in his introduction, Horatio Alger filled a void in American literature and met scant competition both in the nature and the number of his works. Like his heroes, Alger rose to the top by chance, coincidence, and hard work. The hero of Ragged Dick is a veritable "diamond in the rough"—as innately virtuous as he is streetwise and cocky. Immediately popular with young readers, the novel also appealed to parents, who repsonded to its colorful espousal of the Protestant ethic. Struggling Upward, published nearly thirty years later, followed the same time-tested formulas, and despite critical indifference it, too, had mass appeal. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Fifteen-year-old Tom lives in New York City with an old man named Jacob; he supports them both with his earnings as a bootblack. Before Jacob dies, he reveals Tom''s identity as the son of a wealthy man from Cincinnati. Jacob also describes the plan he and Tom''s older brother have cooked up to cheat Tom out of his inheritance.

"Mr. Standfast" is the third part of a trilogy which begins with "The Thirty-Nine Steps" and "Greenmantle". In this nail-biting adventure story, Hannay must outwit a foe far more intelligent than himself; muster the courage to propose to the lovely, clever Mary Lamington; and survive a brutal war. Although Mr. Standfast is a sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps, it offers far more characterisation and philosophy than the earlier book. For its pace and suspense, its changes of scenery and thrilling descriptions of the last great battles against the Germans, Mr Standfast offers everything that has made its author so enduringly popular.

A number of years ago the author of this story set out to depict life among the boys of a great city, and especially among those who had to make their own way in the world. Among those already described are the ways of newsboys, match boys, peddlers, street musicians, and many others. In the present tale are related the adventures of a country lad who, after living for some time with a strange hermit, goes forth into the world and finds work, first in a summer hotel and then in a large hotel in the city. Joe finds his road no easy one to travel, and he has to face not a few hardships, but in the end all turns out well.

From the depths of a humble canal boy''s life rises the extraordinary tale of James A. Garfield, encapsulated in Horatio Alger''s remarkable work, ''From Canal Boy to President; Or, the Boyhood and Manhood of James A. Garfield.'' Alger, a master of crafting inspirational narratives, weaves together the captivating journey of a young boy destined for greatness. In this riveting account, Alger transports readers to the quaint landscapes of Garfield''s early life, where he toiled as a lowly canal boy. Amid the dusty canals and grueling labor, a seed of ambition takes root within Garfield''s heart. Alger''s prose illuminates the transformative power of determination and perseverance as Garfield''s unwavering spirit propels him forward. Through Alger''s meticulous storytelling, the reader is drawn into Garfield''s world—a world of tireless effort, self-education, and boundless resilience. As Garfield evolves from a canal boy to a renowned scholar, his unwavering commitment to personal growth becomes a testament to the strength of the human spirit.

Horatio Alger (1832 - 1899) was one of the most influential American authors of the 19th century, who wrote Frank''s Campaign. A prolific author, he wrote more than a hundred books on the same theme: that honesty, cheerfulness, virtue, thrift, and hard work would be rewarded with success. While his plots and dialogue sometimes lacked creativity, he can be credited with helping to create an uniquely American philosophy of Strive and Succeed