Horatio Alger (1832 - 1899) was an American novelist, primarily active in Massachusetts and New York City. He is known for his "rags-to-riches" stories: tales of young people who rise from humble beginnings to middle-class comfort through virtues such as honesty, integrity, and hard work. While his novels enjoyed moderate success in the 1850s and '60s, he rose to literary fame upon the publication of Ragged Dick in 1868. The story, which follows the rise of a teenage shoeshine in Manhattan, helped make Horatio Alger one of the best-selling American novelists of the 19th Century. Alger would write over 100 books over the course of his career, largely works of fiction with similar themes and plots. The popularity of these works had a lasting impact on American culture, helping to enshrine self-sufficiency and hard work as quintessential American values.
The Law School's collection comprises over 150 books, all of which are first or rare editions of Alger's novels, as well as other items related to the life and work of the author. While most famous for his novels, Alger also wrote short stories serialized in newspapers and biographies of famous figures, and examples of both can be found in the collection. In addition to Alger's publications, the collection contains postal stamps honoring the author, comprehensive bibliographies of his works, photographs, and a board game inspired by his writing about New York City newsboys.
Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1894
Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Company, 1906
Enfield: Bradford S. Chase, 1983
Board game patterned after "rags to riches" stories such as those of Horatio Alger, 1890s
To learn more about the life and works of Horatio Alger, you can visit the following online resources: