Horatio Alger, Jr. was born on January 13, 1832. A prolific American author, who specialised in the 'rags to riches' story. He wrote mainly for juveniles during America's Gilded Age. Stories of impoverished boys rising from humble backgrounds and beginnings to lives fulfilling the American Dream through hard work, honesty and courage. Almost always it is an extraordinary act of honesty or bravery that turns the boy's life around. For a time he was very successful but as America grew up his own ambitions did not and his new writings were not as able as his earlier ones such as this volume 'Phil The Fiddler'