From Canal Boy to President

*Illustrated

*Includes Table of Contents

If you’ve ever used the phrase “rags to riches,” you owe that to Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899), who popularized the idea through his fictional writings that also served as a theme for the way America viewed itself as a country. Alger’s works about poor boys rising to better living conditions through hard work, determination, courage, honesty, and morals was popular with both adults and younger readers. 


The theme was perfect for James Garfield, the Civil War veteran who was gunned down shortly after taking office in 1881. Written shortly after his death, this edition of Alger’s From Canal Boy to President; or, The Boyhood and Manhood of James A. Garfield is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and is illustrated with pictures of Alger, Jr.