Title: The errand boy, or, How Phil Brent won success
First published: 1888
Description: Sixteen-year-old Philip Brent leaves his small hometown to seek his fortune in 1880s New York after his spiteful stepmother reveals that instead of being his late father's beloved only son, he is of unknown parentage and must fend for himself.
Subjects: Fiction, Conduct of life, Impostors and imposture, Fathers and sons, Self-reliance, History, Juvenile fiction, Abandoned children, Impersonation, Youth, Orphans, Street life, Stepmothers, Inheritance and succession, Diligence, Success
Places: New York (N.Y.)
Time periods: 1865-1898