Richard Dare's Venture; Or, Striking Out for Himself

Bound to Succeed #1

by Edward Stratemeyer

The story follows the adventures of the main character, Richard Dare, who is a young man determined to make his own way in the world. Richard faces various challenges and obstacles as he embarks on a journey to strike out on his own and achieve independence. The novel explores themes of self-reliance, determination, and the pursuit of success.

Edward Stratemeyer was a prolific author known for his works aimed at young readers, often featuring themes of adventure, personal growth, and moral values. The novel "Richard Dare's Venture" is part of this tradition, as it encourages young readers to identify with the protagonist's efforts to achieve his goals through hard work, integrity, and resourcefulness.

While Stratemeyer's writing may feel somewhat dated to contemporary readers, his books remain an important part of the history of children's and young adult literature. They often provide moral lessons and inspire young people to pursue their dreams and overcome challenges with determination and a strong sense of ethics.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Edward Stratemeyer (1862-1930) was an American publisher and writer of children's fiction. He was one of the most prolific writers in the world, producing in excess of 1,300 books himself, selling in excess of 500 million copies. He also created many well-known fictional book series for juveniles, including The Rover Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew series, many of which sold millions of copies and are still in publication today.
In the early 1880s he began writing shorts after the style of Horatio Alger under several pseudonyms, mainly using the pen names "Arthur M. Winfield" "Allen Chapman", and "Capt. Ralph Bonehill."
Stratemeyer formed the Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate in 1905 and hired journalists to write stories based on his ideas. He paid them a flat rate for each book and kept the copyrights to the novels.

Reviews

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dated but somewhat interesting and well written book from the 1890s. It involves the adventures and jobs of a country boy moving to New York. The descriptions of New York 125 years ago are likely the best part of the novel. The characters are solid and likeable, though the plot is slow and contains enough coincidences to make even PG Wodehouse look askance.

The main reason for interest is that it is likely the first novel published by Edward Stratemeyer who would later be the driving force behind a syndicate that would create over a thousand children's books including the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The first edition was put out in 1894. Stratemeyer had started selling stories to magazines six years before that and there are even earlier writings. Some of these have now been published by his fans, so in a sense this is no longer his earliest published work. In a preview of series to come, this is Book One in the "Bound to Succeed" series, though unlike his later series which had recurring lead characters, this is really just three solo books loosely related by an Alger-like theme of hard work paying off.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old book I found at a discount book shop. 1899, excellent story about a young boy who travels to New York to help feed his family after his father dies unexpectedly.