Selected Stories of Horatio Alger Jr.


Book Description

Selected Stories of Horatio Alger Jr. by Horatio Alger Jr.: Step into the world of rags-to-riches tales and moral lessons with Selected Stories of Horatio Alger Jr. Alger's timeless stories depict young protagonists overcoming adversity, demonstrating perseverance, honesty, and hard work on their journey toward success. Key Aspects of the Book “Selected Stories of Horatio Alger Jr.”: Features a collection of inspiring stories that embody the American dream, portraying characters who rise from humble beginnings to achieve success through determination and moral integrity. Explores themes of social mobility, ethics, and the pursuit of personal growth, resonating with readers of all ages and backgrounds. Provides valuable life lessons and serves as a source of motivation, encouraging readers to embrace resilience, self-belief, and the power of honest effort. Horatio Alger Jr., an American writer, became known for his rags-to-riches stories that captivated audiences in the late 19th century. Born in 1832, Alger's novels, including Ragged Dick and Strive and Succeed, depicted the struggles and triumphs of young protagonists striving for success and upward mobility. Alger's works, often emphasizing the virtues of hard work, determination, and integrity, resonated with readers seeking inspiration and hope during a time of social and economic change. His stories of perseverance and the American Dream have left a lasting impact on popular culture.







The Telegraph Boy (Illustrated)


Book Description

"I have two children," she said, "a daughter and a son. The son has recently graduated from college, and is now travelling in Europe. My daughter is now twenty-six years of age. She was beautiful, and our social position was such that my husband, who is a proud man, confidently anticipated that she would make a brilliant match. But at the age of nineteen Ellen fell in love with a clerk in my husband's employ. He was a young man of good appearance and character, and nothing could be said against him except that he was poor. This, however, was more than enough in Mr. Graham's eyes. When Lawrence Brent asked for the hand of our daughter, my husband drove him from the house with insult, and immediately discharged him from his employ. Ellen was high-spirited, and resented this treatment of the man she loved. He soon obtained a place quite as good as the one he had lost, and one day Ellen left the house and married him. She wrote to us, excusing her action, and I would gladly have forgiven her; but her father was obdurate. He forbade my mentioning her name to him, and from that day to this he has never referred to her. In late-nineteenth-century New York City, fifteen-year-old Frank Kavanagh's job as messenger boy brings him many adventures, new friendships, and eventually a great improvement in his fortunes. Horatio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age. Alger's name is often invoked incorrectly as though he himself rose from rags to riches, but that arc applied to his characters, not to the author. Essentially, all of Alger's novels share the same theme: a young boy struggles through hard work to escape poverty. Critics, however, are quick to point out that it is not the hard work itself that rescues the boy from his fate, but rather some extraordinary act of bravery or honesty, which brings him into contact with a wealthy elder gentleman, who takes the boy in as a ward. The boy might return a large sum of money that was lost or rescue someone from an overturned carriage, bringing the boy—and his plight—to the attention of some wealthy individual. It has been suggested that this reflects Alger's own patronizing attitude to the boys he tried to help.




The Young Explorer


Book Description

I've settled up your father's estate, Benjamin, said Job Stanton. "You'll find it all figgered out on this piece of paper. There was that two-acre piece up at Rockville brought seventy-five dollars, the medder fetched a hundred and fifty, the two cows -" "How much does it all come to, Uncle Job?" inter-rupted Ben, who was impatient of details.







Rough and Ready, Or, Life Among the New York Newsboys


Book Description

Rufus, also known as Rough and Ready, is a newsboy who must protect his sister, Rose, from an alcoholic stepfather, James Martin. Through luck, hard work, and honesty, Rufus finds a home for Rose with a kindly seamstress and prospers in his business of selling newspapers. However, Mr. Martin is lurking in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to reclaim the children and hatches a plot to kidnap Rose.




Mark the Match Boy; Or, Richard Hunter's Ward


Book Description

Mark the Match Boy; or, Richard Hunter's Ward, has been regarded as significant work throughout human history, and in order to ensure that this work is never lost, we have taken steps to ensure its preservation by republishing this book in a contemporary format for both current and future generations. This entire book has been retyped, redesigned, and reformatted. Since these books are not made from scanned copies, the text is readable and clear.




Luck and Pluck


Book Description

Reproduction of the original: Luck and Pluck by Horatio Alger







Tom, the Bootblack: Or, the Road to Success


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.