Alger, Horatio 1834-1899.
US writer of children's books. He wrote over
100 didactic moral tales in which the heroes
rise from poverty to riches through hard work
and good deeds, including the series `Ragged
Dick' from 1867 and `Tattered Tom' from 1871.
It is estimated that his books sold more than
20 million copies. In US usage a `Horatio
Alger tale' has now come to mean any
rags-to-riches story, often an implausible
one.