This guide is intended to provide a basis for identifying Horatio Alger first editions.  To fully determine if an Alger book is a first edition I would recommend locating one of the following two Alger bibliographies as there are many fine points to identifying a true first edition.  There are a few bibliographies detailing Alger's works and two which should be on every collector's book shelf are Horatio Alger or, The American Hero Era, by Ralph D. Gardner and Horatio Alger Jr., A Comprehensive Bibliography by Bob Bennett.  There are other bibliographies available; some are more detailed and focused only on certain publishers, but the two above will provide you with all the necessary first edition information.

The listing below is intended to provide a base guideline by identifying the issue date, publisher, and format of the first edition.  Where the first edition format is softcover, you will find an additional entry identifying the first hardcover edition.  In these cases, the softcover is still the true first edition, but due to scarcity may be very difficult to acquire and thus the first hardcover edition is desirable. 

The below listing is in alphabetical order by title.  If you have a Horatio Alger book with a title that is not on this list, then it is an alternative reprint title.

* Please pardon the column alignment as the eBay formatting tools leave much to be desired.

TITLE//ISSUE DATE//PUBLISHER//FORMAT
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$500; or, Jacob Marlowe's Secret//1890//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
A Boy's Fortune; or, The Strange Adventures of Ben Baker//1898//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
A Debt of Honor. The Story of Gerald Lane's Success in the Far West//1900//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
A New York Boy//1890//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
A New York Boy//1894//American Publishers Corp//Hardcover
A Rolling Stone; or, The Adventures of a Wanderer//1902//Thompson & Thomas//Hardcover
Abraham Lincoln: The Backwoods Boy; or, How a Young Rail-Splitter became President//1883//John R. Anderson and Henry S. Allen//Hardcover
Adrift in New York: or, Tom and Florence Braving the World//1904//Street & Smith//Softcover
Adrift in the City; or, Oliver Conrad's Plucky Fight.//1895//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Andy Grant's Pluck//1902//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Ben Bruce. Scenes in the Life of a Bowery Newsboy//1901//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Ben Logan's Triumph; or, The Boys of Boxwood Academy//1908//Cupples & Leon//Hardcover
Ben, the Luggage Boy; or, Among the Wharves.//1870//Loring//Hardcover
Ben's Nugget; or, A Boy's Search for Fortune.//1882//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Bernard Brooks' Adventures. The Story of a Brave Boy's Trials//1903//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Bertha's Christmas Vision. An Autumn Sheaf//1856//Brown, Bazin, & Co//Hardcover
Bob Burton; or, The Young Ranchman of the Missouri//1888//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Bound to Rise; or, Harry Walton's Motto//1873//Loring//Hardcover
Brave and Bold; or, The Fortunes of a Factory Boy//1874//Loring//Hardcover
Cast Upon the Breakers//1974//Doubleday & Company//Hardcover
Charlie Codman's Cruise. A Story for Boys//1866//Loring//Hardcover
Chester Rand; or, A New Path to Fortune//1903//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Dan, the Detective//1884//G.W. Carleton/Street & Smith//Hardcover
Dean Dunham; or, The Waterford Mystery//1891//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
Dean Dunham; or, The Waterford Mystery//1894//American Publishers Corp//Hardcover
Digging For Gold. A Story of California//1892//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Do and Dare; or A Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune//1884//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Facing the World; or, The Haps and Mishaps of Harry Vane//1893//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Falling in With Fortune; or, The Experiences of a Young Secretary//1900//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Fame and Fortune; or, The Progress of Richard Hunter//1868//Loring//Hardcover
Finding a Fortune//1904//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
Forging Ahead//1903//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
Frank and Fearless; or, The Fortunes of Jasper Kent//1897//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Frank Fowler, The Cash Boy//1887//A.L. Burt//Softcover
Frank Fowler, The Cash Boy//1887//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Frank Hunter's Peril//1896//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Frank's Campaign; or, What Boys can do on the Farm for the Camp//1864//Loring//Hardcover
From Canal Boy to President; or, The Boyhood and Manhood  of James A. Garfield//1881//John R. Anderson & Co.//Hardcover
From Farm Boy to Senator: Being the History of the Boyhood  and Manhood of Daniel Webster//1882//J.S. Ogilvie & Co.//Hardcover
From Farm to Fortune; or Nat Nason's Strange Experience//1905//Stitt Publishing Company//Hardcover
Grand'ther Baldwin's Thanksgiving with other Ballads and Poems//1875//Loring//Hardcover
Hector's Inheritance; or, The Boys of Smith Institute//1885//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Helen Ford//1866//Loring//Hardcover
Helping Himself; or, Grant Thornton's Ambition//1886//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Herbert Carter's Legacy; or, The Inventor's Son//1875//Loring//Hardcover
Hugo, the Deformed//1978//Gilbert K. Westgard II//Hardcover
In a New World; or, Among the Gold-Fields of Australia//1893//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
In Search of Treasure. The Story of Guy's Eventful Voyage//1907//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Jack's Ward; or, The Boy Guardian//1875//Loring//Hardcover
Jed, the Poorhouse Boy//1899//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Jerry the Backwoods Boy; or, The Parkhurst Treasure//1904//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Joe the Hotel Boy; or, Winning Out By Pluck//1906//Cupples & Leon//Hardcover
Joe's Luck; or, A Boy's Adventures in California//1887//A.L. Burt//Softcover
Joe's Luck; or, A Boy's Adventures in California//1887//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Julius; or, The Street Boy out West//1874//Loring//Hardcover
Lester's Luck//1901//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Life of Edwin Forrest (William Rounseville Alger)//1877//J.B. Lippincott & Co.//Hardcover
Lost at Sea; or, Robert Roscoe's Strange Cruise//1904//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Luck and Pluck; or, John Oakley's Inheritance//1869//Loring//Hardcover
Luke Walton; or, The Chicago Newsboy//1889//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Making His Mark//1901//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
Mark Manning's Mission. The Story of a Shoe Factory Boy//1905//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Mark Mason's Victory; or, The Trials and Triumphs of a Telegraph Boy//1899//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Mark Stanton//1890//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
Mark Stanton//1900//Street & Smith//Hardcover
Mark the Match Boy; or, Richard Hunter's Ward//1869//Loring//Hardcover
Ned Newton; or, The Fortunes of a New York Bootblack//1890//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
Ned Newton; or, The Fortunes of a New York Bootblack//1894//American Publishers Corp//Hardcover
Nelson the Newsboy; or, Afloat in New York//1901//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Nothing To Do: A Tilt at Our Best Society (anonymous)//1857//James French & Co.//Hardcover
Number 91; or, The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy (Arthur Lee Putnam)//1887//Frank A. Munsey//Softcover
Number 91; or, The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy (Arthur Lee Putnam)//1889//John W. Lovell & Company//Hardcover  
Only an Irish Boy; or, Andy Burke's Fortunes and Misfortunes//1894//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Out for Business; or, Robert Frost's Strange Career//1900//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Paul Prescott's Charge. A Story For Boys//1865//Loring//Hardcover
Paul the Peddler; or, The Adventures of a Young Street Merchant//1871//Loring//Hardcover
Phil the Fiddler; or, The Story of a Young Street Musician//1872//Loring//Hardcover
Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York With the Bootblacks//1868//Loring//Hardcover
Ralph Raymond's Heir//1892//F.W. Lupton (Stratford Edition)//Hardcover
Ralph Raymond's Heir; or, The Merchant's Crime (Arthur Hamilton)//1869//Frederick Gleason//Softcover
Randy of the River; or, The Adventures of a Young Deckhand//1906//Chatterton-Peck Company//Hardcover
Risen from the Ranks; or, Harry Walton's Success//1874// Loring//Hardcover
Robert Coverdale's Struggle; or, On the Wave of Success//1910//Street & Smith//Softcover
Robert Coverdale's Struggle; or, On the Wave of Success//1910//A. L. Burt//Hardcover
Rough and Ready; or, Life Among the New York Newsboys//1869//Loring// Hardcover
Rufus and Rose; or, The Fortunes of Rough and Ready//1870//Loring//Hardcover
Rupert's Ambition//1899//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Sam's Chance; and How He Improved It//1876//Loring//Hardcover
Seeking His Fortune, And Other Dialouges//1875//Loring//Hardcover
Shifting for Himself; or, Gilbert Greyson's Fortune's//1876//Loring//Hardcover
Silas Snobden's Office Boy//1899//J.S. Ogilvie & Company//Softcover
Silas Snobden's Office Boy//1973//Doubleday & Company//Hardcover
Sink or Swim; or, Harry Raymond's Resolve//1870//Loring//Hardcover
Slow and Sure; or, From the Street to the Shop//1872//Loring//Hardcover
Strive and Succeed; or, The Progress of Walter Conrad//1872//Loring//Hardcover
Striving for Fortune; or, Walter Griffith's Trials and Successes//1901//Street & Smith//Softcover
Strong and Steady; or, Paddle Your Own Canoe//1871//Loring//Hardcover
Struggling Upward; or, Luke Larkin's Luck//1890//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Tattered Tom; or, The Story of a Street Arab//1871//Loring//Hardcover
The $500 Check//1891//U.S. Book Company//Hardocver
The Disagreeable Woman; A Social Mystery (Julian Starr)//1895//G..W. Dillingham//Hardcover
The Erie Train Boy//1890//U.S. Book Company//Softcover
The Erie Train Boy//1894//American Publishers Corp//Hardcover
The Errand Boy; or, How Phil Brent Won Success//1888//A.L. Burt//Softcover
The Errand Boy; or, How Phil Brent Won Success//1888//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
The New Schoolma'am; or, A Summer in North Sparta (anonymous)//1877//Loring//Hardcover
The Odds Against Him; or, Carl Crawford's Experience//1890//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
The Store Boy; or, The Fortunes of Ben Barclay//1887//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
The Telegraph Boy//1879//Loring//Hardcover
The Train Boy//1883//G.W. Carleton & Co/Street & Smith//Hardcover 
The Western Boy; or, The Road to Success//1878//G.W. Carleton/Street & Smith//Hardcover
The World Before Him//1902//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus//1888//Frank A. Munsey//Softcover
The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus//1889//John W. Lovell & Company//Hardcover
The Young Adventurer; or, Tom's Trip Across the Plains//1878//Loring//Hardcover
The Young Bank Messenger//1898//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
The Young Boatman of Pine Point//1892//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
The Young Book Agent; or, Frank Hardy's Road to Success//1905//Stitt Publishing Company//Hardcover
The Young Circus Rider; or, The Mystery of Robert Rudd//1883//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
The Young Explorer; or, Among the Sierras//1880//Loring//Hardcover
The Young Miner; or, Tom Nelson in California//1879//Loring//Hardcover
The Young Outlaw; or, Adrift In The Streets//1875//Loring//Hardcover
The Young Salesman//1896//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Timothy Crump's Ward; or, The New Years Loan, And What Became of It.(anonymous)//1866//Loring//Hardcover
Tom Brace: Who He Was and How He Fared//1901//Street & Smith//Softcover
Tom Brace: Who He Was and How He Fared//1901//Street & Smith//Hardcover
Tom Temple's Career//1888//A.L. Burt//Softcover
Tom Temple's Career//1888//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Tom Thatcher's Fortune//1888//A.L. Burt//Softcover
Tom Thatcher's Fortune//1888//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Tom Tracy//1888//Frank A. Munsey//Softcover
Tom Tracy//1889//John W. Lovell & Company//Hardcover
Tom Turner's Legacy//1902//A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Tony the Hero//1880//J.S. Ogilvie & Co.//Hardcover
Try and Trust; or, The Story of a Bound Boy//1873//Loring//Hardcover
Victor Vane, The Young Secretary//1894//Porter & Coates//Hardcover
Wait and Hope; or, Ben Bradford's Motto//1877//Loring//Hardcover
Wait and Win. The Story of Jack Drummond's Pluck//1908// A.L. Burt//Hardcover
Walter Griffith; or, The Adventures of a Young Street Salesman//1901//Street & Smith//Hardcover
Walter Sherwood's Probation//1897//Henry T. Coates & Co.//Hardcover
Young Captain Jack; or, The Son of a Soldier//1901//The Mershon Company//Hardcover
Young Musician//1906//Penn Publishing Co.//Hardcover
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