Andy Gordon: This is the original edition or one of the very early editions of Andy Gordon. Some of the later versions are quite different, much shorter, for example, with lots of the plot minimized and entire chapters omitted. For instance, this version has 44 chapters, while one of the later editions has only 17. Andy is the son of a poor widow who works as a janitor at the local school to earn his education. Andy is an excellent student, which earns him the enmity of fop Herbert Ross, the rich and spoiled son of a wealthy lawyer.
Horatio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many formulaic juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.