Horatio Alger papers: Finding Aid mssHM 32600-32688
Brooke M. Black
The Huntington Library
March 2024
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Horatio Alger papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 32600-32688
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1880-1953
Abstract: Papers dealing with collector Joseph P. Loeb's efforts to procure editions of the works of American author Horatio Alger,
Jr.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
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[Identification of item]. Horatio Alger papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Loeb, January 1954.
Horatio Alger (1832-1899) was one of the 19th century's most popular authors, and many of his books, including Ragged Dick,
Luck and Pluck, and the Tattered Tom series, narrated the story of a poor boy who manages to rise to wealth. After a period
of declining health, Alger moved from New York to Natick, Massachusetts, his birthplace, where he died in July 1899.
The majority of the collection pertains to Joseph P. Loeb (1883-1974) and his attempts as an amateur book collector to procure
editions of Horatio Alger's work. There are various letters to book dealers and collectors and numerous notecards on the provenance
of individual Alger items. The collection contains around ninety letters written by Alger, the vast majority of which went
to his friend, Irving Blake. Other addressees include Ernest Burks, Payson Smith, and William N. Washburn. Alger's correspondence
addresses literary topics, his position with the New York tribune, and health and family matters. The collection also contains
one manuscript poem by Alger: "Strive and Succeed! The world's temptations flee."
Processed by Huntington Library staff. In March 2024, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Authors, American -- 19th century
Book collectors -- United States
New York tribune
Letters (correspondence)
Manuscripts
Burks, Ernest
Irving, Blake, 1874-
Loeb, Joseph Philip, 1883-1974
Washburn, William N.
Box 1
Horatio Alger papers 1880-1953