Mayes, Herbert R. Alger: A Biography Without A Hero (Westgard Limited Edition); To which has been added the Author's New Introduction after Half a Century, and an Afterword by Jack Bales. Des Plaines, IL: Gilbert K. Westgard, II, 1978. ISBN: 9780686357582. [6299]
No. 165 of 200 copies. Signed by Mayes, Bales, and Westgard. Bright gilt cloth with black titles, 245 pp., as new. Fine. Hardcover.
A reprint of the original 1928 edition, with additions.
"Up until 1961, this completely fictitious account of Alger's life was the only biography of Alger ever written. The book recounts a version of Alger's life based on a diary and letters that never existed. For nearly forty years, this biography was accepted as definitive and accurate, and even today it is still mistakenly cited as a reliable source in most reference texts. In the author's own words, this version of Alger's life, 'literally swarms … with countless absurdities.'" - The Horatio Alger Society, online.
