Rough and Ready

Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899) penned over 100 'rags-to-riches' novels that revolve around teenage boys who face challenging circumstances and must earn their living through various means. His protagonists are depicted as honest, brave, and generous, exemplifying values of hard work, education, and thrift to overcome poverty. Alger's narratives often include thrilling plots with cliff-hanger endings, featuring a stark contrast between his virtuous heroes and the dishonest, sometimes brutal villains they confront. With hundreds of millions of copies sold, he stands as one of the best-selling authors in both U.S. and world history.