Page:Edward Ellis--Alden the Pony Express Rider.djvu/345

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.


THE FAMOUS STANDARD JUVENILES

Published by

THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO. Philadelphia

EDWARD S* ELLIS*

Edward S. Ellis, the popular writer of boys’ books, is a native of Ohio, where he was born somewhat more than a half-century ago. His father was a famous hunter and rifle shot, and it was doubtless his exploits and those of his associates, with their tales of adven- ture which gave the son his taste for the breezy back- woods and for depicting the stirring life of the early settlers on the frontier.

Mr. Ellis began writing at an early age and his work was acceptable from the first. His parents re- moved to New Jersey while he was a boy and he was graduated from the State Normal School and became a member of the faculty while still in his teens. He was afterward principal of the Trenton High School, a trus- tee and then superintendent of schools. By that time his services as a writer had become so pronounced that he gave his entire attention to literature. He was an exceptionally successful teacher and wrote a number of text-books for schools, all of which met with high favor. For these and his historical productions, Prince- ton College conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts.

The high moral character, the clean, manly ten- dencies and the admirable literary style of Mr. Ellis’ stories have made him as popular on the other side of the Atlantic as in this country. A leading paper re- marked some time since, that no mother need hesitate