Ragged Dick
Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks is a boys' book by Horatio Alger, Jr. It was published in parts (serialization) in the magazine Student and Schoolmate in 1867. It was then published as a book in 1868 by A. K. Loring of Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first of six books in the Ragged Dick series. It was Alger's bestselling book.[1]
 Illustration from the first edition | |
| Author | Horatio Alger, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Original title | Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ragged Dick Series |
| Publisher | A. K. Loring |
| Media type | |
| Followed by | Fame and Fortune |
Story
Ragged Dick is a poor bootblack (shoe shine boy) in New York City. He makes his life better by working hard and being honest. He opens a bank account and takes a frail boy named Fosdick into his little apartment. Fosdick teaches Dick to read, write, and do arithmetic. One day, Dick saves a rich man's child from drowning. He is rewarded with money and a clerk's job in the man's firm.
Ragged Dick Media
A plate from an early edition depicting a "smasher" (luggage boy), a newsboy, and two bootblacks
Student and Schoolmate, August 1867
The Bowery Theatre, one of Ragged Dick's haunts before his reformation
References
- ↑ Scharnhorst, Gary; Bales, Jack (1985). The Lost Life of Horatio Alger, Jr. Indiana University Press. pp. 81–7. ISBN 978-0-253-20648-0.
