First Edition Poor Boys’ Chances; Haberton, John; Henry Altemus Co. 1900. Illustrated

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This scarce antiquarian book is noted by scholars to be culturally important.

The first edition, first impression of Poor Boys’ … Read more This scarce antiquarian book is noted by scholars to be culturally important.

The first edition, first impression of Poor Boys’ Chances has all glossy pages. The title page does not have the copyright date on it whereas the copyright page does have the 1900 date. The Ellis History books in the back advertisements cost 75 cents. The rectangle surrounding the information on the title page is red-lined, not black like in the later books. It includes over a hundred illustrations.

All of the great American men named in Poor Boys’ Chances were born poor, and most of them in discouraging circumstances; all overcame obstacles of mental, moral or physical nature. Poor Boys’ Chances is an inspiring YA book about seizing opportunity when opportunity is scarce. Each section is devoted to a singular man and his experiences. The men chronicled include: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Stephen Girard, John Jacob Astor, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Peter Cooper, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander H. Stephens, General Ulysses S. Grant, “Stonewall” Jackson, George Peabody, Jay Gould, “Buffalo Bill” and Thomas Edison.

John Habberton (1842-1921) was born in New York. After serving in the Civil War, Habberton spent nearly twenty years as the literary and drama critic for the New York Herald. His most famous work was Helen’s Babies which was first published by Loring in 1876. During the latter part of the nineteenth century it was among the most popular juvenile books in print. Poor Boys’ Chances is an exceptional read children and adults for its perspective on building character. See less