(ca. 1832-1899) American author, well known for his stories of underprivileged youth who rose from poverty to wealth and fame. He preached in his books that the
hard-working, honest, persevering
boy would get his just reward. Alger wrote over one hundred books, all of which were variations of the above
theme. His three most celebrated
series are the Ragged
Dick series (1867), the
Luck and Pluck
series (1869) and the Tattered Tom
series (1871). Alger's works also gave
rise to the
term Horatio Alger story, meaning a
true story of spectacular
success by someone who started near or at the bottom.