A great example of personal success story-telling from the master, Horatio Alger. Alger wrote to instill the principle of Strive and Succeed, Personal Growth and Achievement-to attain the American dream. He inspired countless millions of young people world-wide and was the Mark Victor Hanson and Tony Robbins of his era. "Horatio Alger Jr. was the biggest American media star of his day. [when] the sale of 10,000 volumes was deemed a publishing triumph in those days-readers bought at least 200 million copies of his books, placing him in the Stephen King category"...Stefan Kanfer

Horatio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many formulaic juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.