8 h 8 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 8 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Speed can win a race. But what does it take to compete with honor?
At Yale, Frank Merriwell finds a world of teams, clubs, friendships and rivalry. Sport fills his college days, and contests put more than speed and skill to the test. In Frank Merriwell's Races, Burt L. Standish follows a clean-living young athlete who wants to win without losing sight of what is right.
Frank stands at the center of fast, straightforward storytelling, where fair play matters and opponents are not always enemies. Honest competitors can earn respect, even as they challenge him. The appeal lies in that clear code of honor: friendship counts, rivalry gives each contest an edge, and a race means more than reaching the finish.
What you’ll discover
- A hero with principles Follow Frank as he brings a firm sense of fair play to athletic rivalry.
- Yale beyond the contests Enter a college world shaped by teams, clubs, friendships and the pull of competition.
- More than sheer speed Discover why these races test character as well as athletic skill.
- Respect between rivals Meet honest competitors whose opposition leaves room for respect, not just the desire to win.
- A bright sporting adventure Enjoy direct storytelling that keeps sport, friendship and doing right close together.
Who will love it
Readers who like school and sports stories, brisk fights and pranks, and a hero who plays fair. It suits anyone curious about Yale life in the 1890s.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A thousand dollars for a saddle horse
- One white hair makes a horse lame
- A plot to ruin him at the races
- Nemo runs, and the plotters fall apart
- A brawl at Jackson's and a quiet escape
- A wrestling match that ends with a hold
- Grace Darling and the duel in the moonlight
- Rowing with a bad hand and refusing a bribe
- Warnings, a rowdy theater, and a dark alley
- What the story is really about, and how it is told
Who’s who
- Frank MerriwellA Yale student and all-round athlete who plays fair, refuses drink and bribes, and wants to do his best for the college.
- Jack DiamondA hot-tempered Virginian and former enemy turned loyal friend, who backs Frank in fights and pranks.
- Harry RattletonFrank's roommate, who muddles his words when he is excited and fiercely protects his friend.
- Fred FlemmingA big, rich Yale rival who wants his place in the boat back and schemes against Frank.
- Evan HartwickA vengeful former student who plots with gamblers to ruin Frank at the races.
- Danny GriswoldA small, pun-loving sophomore who plays a girl so well that he can fool a whole room.
- TootsFrank's young jockey from home, who loves horses and rides Nemo in the Mystic Park race.
- Plug KirbyA rough town tough whom Frank once beat, now eager to fight on Frank's side.
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- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print hardcover
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Frank Merriwell's Races
A Yale student buys a thousand-dollar horse, and strangers begin to tamper with it in the stable.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if a stranger gave a false name, looked over your new horse, and then slipped away? Frank Merriwell, a Yale student with a good name and many rivals, must answer that in the very first chapter.
Frank Merriwell's Races at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 30 min3 h 35 min fast, 5 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 64,100 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A thousand dollars for a saddle horse
The story opens in a stable, where Jack Diamond, Danny Griswold and Bruce Browning admire a bay gelding. Frank Merriwell has just paid a thousand dollars for him. He says he bought the horse strictly for riding.
The reason is a promise. This same horse let Frank catch a runaway that was dragging Winifred Lee toward danger, and Frank swore to own him whatever the cost.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 15 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Standish, Burt L. Frank Merriwell's Races. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/frank-merriwells-races.
Standish, B. L. (2026). Frank Merriwell's races. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/frank-merriwells-races
Standish, Burt L. Frank Merriwell's Races. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/frank-merriwells-races.
@book{standish2026frank,
author = {Standish, Burt L.},
title = {Frank Merriwell's Races},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/frank-merriwells-races}
}
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What is Frank Merriwell's Races about?
It follows Yale student Frank Merriwell through one spring term. He buys a horse, races it, rows against Harvard with an injured hand, wrestles a rival, refuses a bribe, and trains for a mile run while enemies scheme against him.
Who is Frank Merriwell?
Frank is a Yale student and the hero of a long series of tales by Burt L. Standish. He excels at baseball, rowing, wrestling and running, never drinks, and wins friends and enemies by acting on a strict code of fair play.
Who are Frank's enemies in the book?
They include Evan Hartwick, who plots at the races, the gambler Rolf Harlow and Sport Harris, and later Fred Flemming, Tom Thornton, Andy Emery and Duncan Yates. Each wants to bring Frank down for a different reason.
The author
Burt L. Standish
1866–1945 · American adventure writer
Burt L. Standish was a pen name of Gilbert Patten, an American writer born in Corinna, Maine, in 1866. He wrote the Frank Merriwell stories, which began appearing in Tip Top Weekly in 1896. His books included Frank Merriwell’s Bravery and Frank Merriwell Down South. He died in California in 1945.
More by Burt L. Standish
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