5 h 20 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 20 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can a country boy carry into New York City when he has little money and no powerful family?
In From Farm to Fortune, Horatio Alger Jr. follows a young country hero from a hard start toward the opportunities of the city. The journey tests more than his ambition. Among strangers who may cheat a newcomer, he needs to find a way forward without giving up the honesty that Alger places at the heart of success.
This novel for young readers brings Alger's faith in work, courage and kindness into focus. A humble beginning need not close every door, but effort alone is not the whole story. Luck and help from others also matter in his world. The promise is not simply wealth, but the chance to become comfortable and respected.
What you’ll discover
- A start without advantages Follow a country boy whose lack of money does not put ambition beyond reach.
- Character before money Explore Alger's belief that honesty gives a young hero something more valuable than cash.
- The city's double promise Enter a world where opportunity draws newcomers and strangers may take advantage of them.
- Effort meets good fortune Consider how hard work shares its place with luck in Alger's picture of progress.
- Success with a moral Discover a view of getting ahead that asks a boy to hold onto kindness.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy fast, friendly adventure, underdog heroes who learn from mistakes, gentle humor, old New York street scenes, and plots where honesty and kindness count.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A boy worked like a hired hand
- Flight by night leads to Buffalo
- A rescue pays for a fresh start
- A hundred dollars meets a smooth swindler
- Honest work brings a friend and a fight
- City lessons and the wages of kindness
- A brisk tale told with a wink
Who’s who
- Nat NasonA sixteen-year-old Ohio orphan who flees his uncle's farm for New York, hoping to earn his own living and make something of himself.
- Abner BalberryNat's miserly uncle and guardian, who works the boy hard, pays him nothing, and clings to every dollar.
- Mrs. FeltonThe kindly old housekeeper on the Balberry farm, who quietly looks out for Nat when his uncle will not.
- Dick TalcottA cheerful New York newsboy who leads Nat to his mother's boardinghouse and teaches him how the city works.
- Paul HamptonA young lawyer from Niagara Falls whose life Nat saves and who rewards him with a gift that changes his plans.
- John GarwellA real estate broker who hires Nat, trusts him with valuable papers, and helps him learn a business.
- Hamilton DartA smooth swindler who runs a pretend brokerage and takes a hundred dollar deposit from each young clerk he hires.
- Rufus CameronA scheming nephew who tries to get his aunt's property and will use threats and tricks to stop Mr. Garwell.
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De la granja a la fortuna
by Horatio Alger Jr. · 1905
A sixteen-year-old Ohio farm boy sells his cow and heads for New York, where swindlers wait at every corner.
Easy read5–10 hours to readEspañol
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In short
What happens when a sixteen-year-old farm boy is sent to bed without supper? In this book, Nat slips out into the night, takes his own cow, and sets off for the city.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy worked like a hired hand
The story opens on an Ohio farm near the town of Caswell. Nat Nason is sixteen, sturdy, with clear blue eyes and sandy hair. He has just come home from fishing. His uncle and guardian, Abner Balberry, meets him with a scolding. The potatoes are hoed, but Abner says nothing done so quickly can be done well.
Nat is an orphan, and his Aunt Mary has died. He is left alone with a man the neighbors call the meanest in the district. Abner gives Nat no spending money and says he is saving it for the boy. Nat sleeps in a small room under the roof, wears made-over clothes, and often goes to bed hungry.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1905
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 3 h 25 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Alger, Horatio, Jr. From Farm to Fortune. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/from-farm-to-fortune.
Alger, H., Jr. (2026). From farm to fortune. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/from-farm-to-fortune (Original work published 1905)
Alger, Horatio, Jr. From Farm to Fortune. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/from-farm-to-fortune.
@book{alger2026from,
author = {Alger, Horatio, Jr.},
title = {From Farm to Fortune},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/from-farm-to-fortune},
note = {First published 1905}
}
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What is From Farm to Fortune about?
It follows Nat Nason, a sixteen-year-old Ohio orphan who leaves his stingy uncle's farm for New York City. He faces thieves, swindlers and job hunts, and slowly learns how to earn his place.
Who is Hamilton Dart in From Farm to Fortune?
Hamilton Dart is the false name of Nick Smithers, a confidence man who runs a pretend brokerage on Broadway. He hires young clerks and takes a one hundred dollar deposit from each before vanishing.
Who is John Garwell?
John Garwell is a real estate broker whose legal papers Nat rescues on the Brooklyn Bridge. He later hires Nat, pays for his shorthand and typing lessons, and trusts him with important errands.
The author
Horatio Alger Jr.
1832–1899 · American novelist
Horatio Alger Jr. (1832–1899) was an American novelist. He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and died in Natick, Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1866. He wrote novels for young readers during the nineteenth century, including Ragged Dick (1868) and Fame and Fortune (1868).
More by Horatio Alger Jr.
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