Charles Austin Fosdick, who wrote under the pseudonym Harry Castlemon, was a prolific author of boys' books rivaling in popularity and sales both Horatio Alger, Jr., and William Taylor Adams (Oliver Optic). The National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints lists nearly sixty Castlemon novels from 1864 to 1902, and although the number of printings per book dropped dramatically for his last ten or so books, other works ran through thirty printings or more. His first series of books, the six-volume Gunboat series, helped to establish the popularity of series books with a common hero and often several secondary characters that appeared in a number of volumes. His titles consistently announced adventure and thrills, and series titles such as Roughing It, Rod and Gun, and The Pony Express made his works favorite reading of many boys.

Fosdick, the son of John Spencer and Eunice Andrews Fosdick, was born in Randolph, New York...