Ben, the Luggage Boy

Ragged Dick #5

by Horatio Alger Jr.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1870

About the author

Horatio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, most famous for his novels following the adventures of bootblacks, newsboys, peddlers, buskers, and other impoverished children in their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of respectable middle-class security and comfort. His novels about boys who succeed under the tutelage of older mentors were hugely popular in their day.

Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister, Alger entered Harvard University at the age of sixteen. Following graduation, he briefly worked in education before touring Europe for almost a year. He then entered the Harvard Divinity School, and, in 1864, took a position at a Unitarian church in Brewster, Massachusetts. Two years later, he resigned following allegations he had sexual relations with two teenage boys.[1] He retired from the ministry and moved to New York City where he formed an association with the Newsboys Lodging House and other agencies offering aid to impoverished children. His sympathy for the working boys of the city, coupled with the moral values learned at home, were the basis of his many juvenile rags to riches novels illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, determination, and concern for others. This widely held view involves Alger's characters achieving extreme wealth and the subsequent remediation of their "old ghosts." Alger is noted as a significant figure in the history of American cultural and social ideals. He died in 1899.

The first full-length Alger biography was commissioned in 1927 and published in 1928, and along with many others that borrowed from it later proved to be heavily fictionalized parodies perpetuating hoaxes and made up anecdotes that "would resemble the tell-all scandal biographies of the time."[2] Other biographies followed, sometimes citing the 1928 hoax as fact. In the last decades of the twentieth century a few more reliable biographies were published that attempt to correct the errors and fictionalizations of the past.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a slight variation on the usual Horatio Alger story here. Ben, who’s only ten years old, runs away from a good home and takes to the streets of New York. He supports himself by selling newspapers and carrying luggage, but eventually he runs into his cousin, who’s well-dressed and highly-respected. He wants that for himself, too, so he saves up $50 to buy himself some new clothes. He pays for a bath and a haircut, puts on his new suit, and presto! He can pass for a gentleman’s son again. He goes home, makes peace with his family, etc., etc. It’s all very entertaining. On this one, I noticed something that’s part of the usual pattern: these Horatio Alger stories are 80% street urchin and 20% regarding the boys making their way up in the world. What’s more interesting, street life or living well? Like most “orphan” stories, all the fun is in the hardship. After that it gets boring.

[Chip Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve finished the fifth of six Horatio Alger novels in the Ragged Dick series. It’s not great literature, but the first book in the series was assigned reading in my English Literature major in college.
I’m downloading these short novels via Kindle and/or iBooks - usually free - and I often choose reading them over interminable scrolling through social media. These novels were written in the late 1800s. The author wanted to inspire young boys to live productive and honorable lives and to rise to a higher standard of life.
The stories are enjoyable.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to the series.

[sandra roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different life

It's picture of the life of a street boy and the hardships few know about for many who then and now ,have to live hand to mouth relying on their wits every day to survive..It's a little old fashioned for present day readers but a well thought out story. Worth reading though times have changed and it's got a moral tone younger readers may not appreciate.

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging youth story of young adventure in mid-1800s New York City. It's almost like Charles Dickens in NYC for kids. The free LibriVox audiobook is terrific for children's listening. This is book 5 of the Ragged Dick series.

[[ J o ]]

Read the first book in the Ragged Dick series, Ragged Dick. 1 Star; therefore will not be continuing with the series.