The Western Boy or The Road to Success

The first book to kick off the popular "Dare and Do Right" series in 1880 was "The Western Boy". It made its first appearance in serial form in the "New York Weekly" on June 30, 1873 and concluded on September 15, 1873. However, the enterprising book publisher changed the title to "Tom the Bootblack" and the book is probably best remembered by that name. Subsequent editions adopted the new title, and as a token of recognition used a sub title, or "A Western Boy's Success". Here is the facsimile edition of one of Horatio Alger, Jr.'s more popular novels which early publisher's touted as "...unususlly interesting, and in a quiet way conveys lessons of pluck, perserverance and manly independence."And who among us can do without these lessons today? (from the back cover)