Horatio Alger (Jr.)

Or, Ben Bradford's Motto

Wait and Hope

Phil, a twelve-year-old Italian boy whose poor parents sold him to a Faginesque-like character called the padrone. The padrone has a gang of boys who he sends out each day with the edict that they earn $2. Phil earns his money by playing his fiddle. After many adventures with his friends, including Paul the Peddler, he finally manages to escape the bonds of the padrone.

The Story of a Young Street-musician

Phil the Fiddler

Jack's Ward, Or, The Boy Guardian

Jack Harding was a boy of twelve. One morning as Jack left to buy milk for breakfast he found a basket on the doorstep. Having found a baby girl on their doorstep seven years previously, Jack and his parents are alarmed when a lady claiming to have been the infant's nurse arrives to reclaim the child.

Or, The Boy Guardian

Jack's Ward

The adventures of two sixteen-year-old Americans, Harry Vane and Jack Pendleton, as they try to strike it rich in the gold mining region of nineteenth-century Australia.

In a New World, Or, Among the Gold-fields of Australia

Overworked and underpaid by his miserly stepfather, sixteen-year-old Grant Colburn, a resourceful Iowa farm boy, travels 2,000 miles to seek his fortune in the gold mines of California.

A Story of California

Digging for Gold

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.

Or, Life Among the New York Newsboys

Rough and Ready

When Mark Manton is orphaned, a family acquaintance becomes his guardian and forces him to sell matches on the street. After he leaves her oppressive home, he becomes sick and is rescued by Richard Hunter who has, himself risen from life on the streets as a boot-black. Mark thrives under Hunter's care and secures a job making deliveries for a book seller. He is settling into his new life when he discovers that his grandfather is a very rich man and has been looking for him.

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

Tells the story of Richard Hunter, a poor boy, who through luck and hardwork, becomes wealthy and is able to become the protector of Mark, another poor young boy

And Mark, the Match Boy

Ragged Dick

Mark, the Match Boy

When his father is killed in a railroad accident, Harry Raymond must care for his mother and sister. When Harry's mother discovers an old land warrant belonging to his deceased father, the local squire attempts to defraud her and cheat the family of their rightful property. Harry later witnesses this same squire setting fire to his own property in order to claim the insurance money and is kidnapped and shanghaied on a ship bound for China.

Or, Harry Raymond's Resolve

Sink Or Swim

Or, A Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune

Do and Dare

American Popular Literature Collection

The Discarded Son

Walter Conrad, the hero, is unexpectedly reduced from affluence to poverty, and compelled to fight his own way in life. Undaunted by misfortune, he makes up his mind to "paddle his own canoe," and, declining, the offers of friends, sets to work with a resolute will and persistent energy, which command success in the end.--Provided by author in preface.

Or, Paddle Your Own Canoe

Strong and Steady

Wait and Hope, Or, Ben Bradford's Motto

Wait and Hope, Or, A Plucky Boy's Luck

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.

Laid off from his factory job, Ben Bradford works at anything he can find to support his family while waiting and hoping for opportunity to knock.

Strive and Succeed, Or, The Progress of Walter Conrad

Fourteen-year-old Paul Hoffman supports his widowed mother and handicapped brother by selling candy in the streets of New York, always looking for an opportunity to better himself in business.

Horatio Alger (Jr.)

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