Polyglot Press Alger series

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.

While performing as an acrobat in a traveling circus, teenaged Kit Watson finds evidence that his uncle defrauded him of his rightful inheritance.

Now the proud owner of a necktie stand in 1870's New York City, fifteen-year-old Paul Hoffman offers dinner to Julius, a hungry street child, who in turn offers information about a planned robbery of the home where Paul is the caretaker.

An orphaned sixteen-year-old sets off on a circuit of adventure during which time he has experiences as a bootblack, detective, deckhand, champion whistler, Indian captive, boy philanthropist, and more.

Relates the adventures of a young boy who supports his family by working on the Erie trains selling cards, newspapers, and novels.

“Horatio Alger, Jr. (1834-99) was a prolific writer of dime novel stories for boys. From the debut of his first novel, Ragged Dick, in 1867, Alger was instrumental in establishing a new genre of dime novels known as the ‘city story.’ The genre arose out of the wide-spread urbanization that followed the Civil War and paralleled the rise of industrialism. Alger’s stories heroicized the young street urchins living in poverty among large, urban centers such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. With uncommon courage and moral fortitude, Alger’s youths struggle against adversity to achieve great wealth and acclaim. These rags to riches stories were enormously popular with the public and flourished in the decades from 1870 to 1890.” – From Stanford University’s “Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection” online

Young Ben runs away from home after a conflict with his father and lives on the streets of New York City for years, but his mother still hopes to see him again.

A fictionalized biography of James Garfield from his log cabin youth in Ohio through his career as educator and service as Civil War general to his 1881 election as twentieth President of the United States, an office he held for only four months before his assassination.

After his father's death, sixteen-year-old Gerald Lane leaves their Colorado cabin home to seek his fortune and to redress the wrong done to his father by an unscrupulous former business partner who owed him a large sum of money.

Despite the obstruction of a rival from school, fifteen-year-old Ben, who supports his widowed aunt and cousin, secures an excellent position at a Boston firm and good friends who help him to get through difficult times.

A courageous and discreet young orphan finds adventure and friendship through his job as a New York telegraph boy.

While searching for the kidnapped young orphan that his mother had taken in, sixteen-year-old Mark Stanton is shanghaied aboard a California-bound ship and, after many hardships far from home, finds friends, fortune, and the answer to a long-ago mystery.

An impoverished youth's encounter with an old hermit brings excitement and important changes to his life.

Relates the adventures of Luke Larkin, a poor boy who perseveres against many odds and gains success.

Sixteen-year-old Philip Brent leaves his small hometown to seek his fortune in 1880s New York after his spiteful stepmother reveals that instead of being his late father's beloved only son, he is of unknown parentage and must fend for himself.

When his wealthy widowed mother remarries unwisely, fifteen-year-old Frank Hunter finds himself in increasing danger, at home and while traveling through Europe, as he attempts to unmask the criminal schemes of his unscrupulous, greedy stepfather.

Follows the adventures of intrepid sixteen-year-old Dean Dalton as he travels to find his fortune and solves the mystery of his uncle's robbery.

Fifteen-year-old Sam Barker continues his lazy ways, squandering a promising job opportunity, until he learns the value of studying hard, saving money, and not smoking.

As a wealthy seventeen-year-old college sophomore, Walter spends most of his time and money on fun, until his guardian learns what is going on and informs Walter that his fortune is lost and he must leave college to work for at least a year.

With the aid of a benefactor, a young train boy obtains fortune through honesty and perseverance.

After the death of his carpenter father, fifteen-year-old Harry Raymond, now the sole support of his mother and younger sister, finds his plans for a business career in New York City overturned when his discovery of a fraudulent insurrance scheme leads to his kidnapping and forced indenture on a ship bound for China.

In the nineteenth century, two sixteen-year-old American boys try to strike it rich in Australia's gold mining region.

After unfairly losing his job as office boy, sixteen-year-old Frank Manton determines, despite many setbacks, to find a way to continue to support his mother and make a new life for them both in 1890s New York.

"Ragged Dick" was contributed as a serial story to the pages of the Schoolmate, a well-known juvenile magazine, during the year 1867. While in course of publication, it was received with so many evidences of favor that it has been rewritten and considerably enlarged, and is presented to the public as the first volume of a series intended to illustrate the life and experiences of the friendless and vagrant children who are now numbered by thousands in New York and other cities.Several characters in the story are sketched from life. The necessary information has been gathered mainly from personal observation and conversations with the boys themselves. The author is indebted also to the excellent Superintendent of the Newsboys' Lodging House, in Fulton Street, for some facts of which he has been able to make use. Some anachronisms may be noted. Wherever they occur, they have been admitted, as aiding in the development of the story, and will probably be considered as of little importance in an unpretending volume, which does not aspire to strict historical accuracy.

Through hard work and alliances with the right people, sixteen-year-old Tom Nelson enjoys success as a gold prospector in California, but his good luck may not be enough to save the family farm from foreclosure.

When beatings from the padrone become unbearable, a twelve-year-old Italian street musician in New York runs away to make his own way in the world.

Overworked and underpaid by his miserly stepfather, sixteen-year-old Grant Colburn, a resourceful Iowa farm boy, travels 2000 miles to seek his fortune in the gold mines of California.

Relates the adventures of a young boy fighting in the Civil War and how he comes to solve the mystery of his parentage.

Shortly after his father dies, sixteen-year-old Gerald is informed by his ruthless stepmother that he will receive nothing from his father's estate and must forego the rest of his education.

When the family fortune falls into the hands of his scheming stepmother, a young boy journeys westward to seek his fortune.

When Richard Dewey's injured ankle keeps him from working his gold claim in the Sierra Nevadas, Ben Stanton and Jake Bradley come to his aid.

In late-nineteenth-century New York City, orphaned, fifteen-year-old Rufus Rodman works hard as a "baggage smasher" and newsboy but finds his fortunes changing after he exposes a confidence man, saves a life, and solves a diamond robbery.

After his parents die of a fatal fever and his home is sold, sixteen-year-old Jack sets off to seek his fortune, eventually going to sea on a ship bound for the Indies.

Living in a run-down section of New York City, fifteen-year-old newsboy Rufus and his six-year-old sister Rose escape from their drunken and abusive stepfather, but when he kidnaps Rose, the newsboy plots to take her back.

"Well, good by, Rodney! I leave school tomorrow. I am going to learn a trade."

Feisty, twelve-year-old Jenny, also known as Tattered Tom because of her ragged mix of clothing, survives in 1870's New York City by sweeping streets and avoiding her abusive guardian until a chance meeting with a sea captain and his sister brings a marked change to her life and fortunes.

Hugo suffered from grossly ugly distortions of the body, but he still had spirit and talent. Hugo Ring and Henry Hartcourt work in a firm run by Mr. Hartcourt, Henry’s uncle. Jealous of Henry, Hugo decides to steal money and implicate Henry. The plan is successful as Mr. Hartcourt believes that Henry is guilty. Adamant in his declaration of innocence, Henry tries to convince his uncle. Although not fully convinced, Mr. Hartcourt does not wish to fire Henry. Henry, however, refuses to return to work until his innocence is established. Hugo digs himself a deep hole with his jealousy and need for revenge. Hugo must face the consequences of his decisions while Henry tries to get his life back together.

Tom, a plucky New York City newsboy, suspects that his unscrupulous uncle is trying to swindle Tom's widowed mother out of a large inheritance.

Sixteen-year-old Guy leaves his nineteenth-century Massachusetts home in search of adventure and a buried pirate's treasure.

After Sam Barker's abusive father dies the kind Deacon Hopkins adopts him.

Tired of being mistreated by his stingy employer, a fifteen-year-old impoverished orphan sets out to make his fortune in California, where his success at running a restaurant leads him to try his luck at gold mining.

Disowned by his father after being falsely accused of theft, a hardworking and honest sixteen-year-old farm boy leaves home, in the late 1800s, determined to clear his name, and soon finds employment as the private secretary to a congressman in Washington, D.C.

A fictionalized biography of the Civil War president, emphasizing his compassion and high moral character. Features excerpts from his speeches and several pertinent poems, including "Oh! Why Should the Spirit of Mortal Be Proud?"

When his late father's poor investments diminish his inheritance, irrepressible, sixteen-year-old Tom Temple leaves the home of his greedy and miserly guardians and travels to New York City, where he is hired by a merchant to track down a fugitive embezzler in California.

Mistreated and half-starved at the boarding school where he has been placed by his evil guardian, fifteen-year-old Tom Brace runs away to seek his fortunes and true identity in late-nineteenth-century New York City.

Orphaned at sixteen, Harry runs away from the miserly cousin who would be his guardian and becomes assistant to a magician, with whom he sets sail for Australia, facing great danger heroically when their ship is caught in a storm.

Its about a teenage boy learning to play golf.

Hoping to become a newspaper editor, a teen-age boy begins his career as a printer's devil.

During the deathbed confession of his caregiver, young Ernest learns that he has been cheated of a large inheritance, and cirumstances later lead him to confront a deceitful relative.