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The Tin Box and What It Contained
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.
78 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1882
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About the author
Horatio Alger Jr.
449 books96 followersHoratio 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 13, 2025
Oh boy what a mess. Even for Horatio Alger this story just goes all over the map to find unlikely coincidences that are usually not so blatant, but this novel came out somewhere past the middle of Alger's long career of writing endless variations of the same book. Firmly established as a guaranteed best selling author, Horatio was clearly coasting on this one. He surely wasn't the only author to cut and paste together a novel in the name of fan service, and that really is the most remarkable element of this book, that: all of the scenes come from other novels, all of the characters are overly familiar, and the dialogue is repetitious.
To summarize, this is a volume squarely in the Country Boy sequence. This long-lived series was clearly a publisher's suggestion, since the base readership for these novels were boys living outside of the cities (e.g.: at minimum 75% of all boys in 1880). The problem was that Alger was a cultured city boy, a Harvard graduate, and a tutor to the rich before finding success as an author at the suggestion from a publisher rather than his own invention. Ragged Dick was never something Alger would have begun on his own. When left to his own, Alger wrote stilted prose that was generally ignored and flowery poetry that was admired at the time but very much in the style of the age.
So consider Horatio Alger as a Text Generation Machine in the Victorian mode. He had little invention, but he could take what already existed and rearrange it endlessly. Which he did for three decades and hundreds of books. The Tin Box: and what it contained is what happens when you take Ragged Dick out of the City and move him to generic Smalltown, New York, which just happens to always be a short commute from Wall Street and Broadway. In this novel, Our Hero (c), Harry Gilbert, is essentially a commuter. He travels between his hometown and the City several times in one day at least once, and on one trip he sets out for Wall Street and gets home before the noon hour. Alger being Horatio By God Alger can't even allow this 20 minute commute be dead time in his story. Nope, there is Adventure! wherein Harry outwits a conman and the idiot farmer who is fooled is consoled with Harry's promise of Vengeance! on his behalf. You know, the usual events on a rail commute.
Then there is the obvious Chekhov's gun of an old man who is not only creepily quick to attach himself to Harry, but also seems ready at times to become his step(grand?)dad. Unlike some earlier novels where the formula is less trite, The Tin Box doesn't warn its young readers to stay home in the country. Neither does it lead to an office boy position with elevated wages upon fifteen minute acquaintance, nor will the boy-snob suffer a shameful loss of status at the end aside from having the rich uncle move in down the street.
It's a fine, low-average Horatio Alger effort from the point where the quality didn't matter as much as the fan service. Interestingly, this appears to be a forgotten novel. I was looking for where this work was in the timeline of Alger's oeuvre and it isn't on any list. The book exists, there are copies of it everywhere, but no one deemed it worth adding to the list of complete works.
That's kind of fitting.
To summarize, this is a volume squarely in the Country Boy sequence. This long-lived series was clearly a publisher's suggestion, since the base readership for these novels were boys living outside of the cities (e.g.: at minimum 75% of all boys in 1880). The problem was that Alger was a cultured city boy, a Harvard graduate, and a tutor to the rich before finding success as an author at the suggestion from a publisher rather than his own invention. Ragged Dick was never something Alger would have begun on his own. When left to his own, Alger wrote stilted prose that was generally ignored and flowery poetry that was admired at the time but very much in the style of the age.
So consider Horatio Alger as a Text Generation Machine in the Victorian mode. He had little invention, but he could take what already existed and rearrange it endlessly. Which he did for three decades and hundreds of books. The Tin Box: and what it contained is what happens when you take Ragged Dick out of the City and move him to generic Smalltown, New York, which just happens to always be a short commute from Wall Street and Broadway. In this novel, Our Hero (c), Harry Gilbert, is essentially a commuter. He travels between his hometown and the City several times in one day at least once, and on one trip he sets out for Wall Street and gets home before the noon hour. Alger being Horatio By God Alger can't even allow this 20 minute commute be dead time in his story. Nope, there is Adventure! wherein Harry outwits a conman and the idiot farmer who is fooled is consoled with Harry's promise of Vengeance! on his behalf. You know, the usual events on a rail commute.
Then there is the obvious Chekhov's gun of an old man who is not only creepily quick to attach himself to Harry, but also seems ready at times to become his step(grand?)dad. Unlike some earlier novels where the formula is less trite, The Tin Box doesn't warn its young readers to stay home in the country. Neither does it lead to an office boy position with elevated wages upon fifteen minute acquaintance, nor will the boy-snob suffer a shameful loss of status at the end aside from having the rich uncle move in down the street.
It's a fine, low-average Horatio Alger effort from the point where the quality didn't matter as much as the fan service. Interestingly, this appears to be a forgotten novel. I was looking for where this work was in the timeline of Alger's oeuvre and it isn't on any list. The book exists, there are copies of it everywhere, but no one deemed it worth adding to the list of complete works.
That's kind of fitting.
November 24, 2022
A novel featuring moral philosophy wrapped in the embrace of an adventure.
Appropriate for Y/A and adults alike.
A well written tale of a poor, but honest and hard working young man who defies the odds, defeats bullies, evades traps, thwarts wrongful accusation and imprisonment, and is finally recognized and justly rewarded for his good moral qualities.
It also may be of interest to those teaching young adults (and many adults) about financial responsibility and investing. Much of the plot revolves around the issues of the liquidity of government bonds, coupon payments on bonds, and perceived vs. actual wealth.
Bonds today are much different in current electronic form, but their historical forms can help elucidate the frequently confusing subject matter.
Appropriate for Y/A and adults alike.
A well written tale of a poor, but honest and hard working young man who defies the odds, defeats bullies, evades traps, thwarts wrongful accusation and imprisonment, and is finally recognized and justly rewarded for his good moral qualities.
It also may be of interest to those teaching young adults (and many adults) about financial responsibility and investing. Much of the plot revolves around the issues of the liquidity of government bonds, coupon payments on bonds, and perceived vs. actual wealth.
Bonds today are much different in current electronic form, but their historical forms can help elucidate the frequently confusing subject matter.
September 3, 2025
Very repetitive story. Did not like this writing style
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews