Ragged Dick
by Horatio Alger
Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks (1868) was Alger's most popular novel, following the popular serialized version published in Student and Schoolmate in 1867. His most popular "rags-to-riches" story, what became an iconic symbol of "the American Dream," is a lesson to encourage young man to apply themselves to valiant work, because it might just be rewarded by a wealthy patron, making it all worthwhile. The phrase "Horatio Alger myth" comes from this idea that sometimes hard work isn't rewarded, even though it's well-deserving. The theme would be Alger's mantra throughout his writing career, flagging in popularity due to its redundancy. Same story, different settings. The term "boot black" means shoe shiner, a popular job for scrappy young men needing work in New York City at the time Alger resided there. [Book cover pictured is the 1895 edition.]
Chapter I - Ragged Dick is Introduced to the Reader
Chapter III - Dick Makes a Proposition
Chapter V - Chatham Street and Broadway
Chapter VI - Up Broadway to Madison Square
Chapter VIII - Dick's Early History
Chapter IX - A Scene in A Third Avenue Car
Chapter X - Introduces a Victim of Misplaced Confidence
Chapter XI - Dick As a Detective
Chapter XII - Dick Hires a Room on Mott Street
Chapter XIV - A Battle and a Victory
Chapter XV - Dick Secures a Tutor
Chapter XVI - The First Lesson
Chapter XVII - Dick's First Appearance in Society
Chapter XVIII - Micky Maguire's Second Defeat
Chapter XIX - Fosdick Changes his Business
Chapter XX - Nine Months Later
Chapter XXI - Dick Loses His Bank Book
Chapter XXII - Tracking the Thief
Chapter XXIII - Travis is Arrested
Chapter XXIV - Dick Receives a Letter
Chapter XXV - Dick Writes His First Letter
Chapter XXVI - An Exciting Adventure