Alger, HoratioAl‧ger, Ho‧ra‧ti‧o /ˈældʒə, həˈreɪʃiəʊ $ -dʒər, -fioʊ/(1832–1899) a US writer, many of whose stories are about poor boys who become rich and successful through hard work and good luck. His books include Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Bootblacks (1868) and The Telegraph Boy (1879).