"I ain't knocked 'round the city streets all my life for nothin'," exclaims Ragged Dick, the fast-talking boy hero in Horatio Alger's classic tale of rags-to-riches. Young Dick is a plucky street boy who smokes, gambles, and speaks ungrammatically - but he is also honest and hardworking, striving not for wealth and status, but for a steady job, a decent place to sleep, and respectability. A quintessential boy's novel of adventure, romance, and coming-of-age, Ragged Dick brings to life the drama and excitement of living amongst other young outcasts in the crowded streets of lower Manhattan. It is at the same time an exhilarating tale of one boy's metamorphosis from a dirty street urchin to a handsome, self-respecting gentleman.