Samuel Griswold Goodrich was an author and editor of children's books in the nineteenth century, the most popular and successful of which appeared under his pseudonym, Peter Parley. Goodrich was the only children's author of his time to make his living entirely by writing children's books; by his own estimate, seven million of his books were in print in 1857 and three hundred thousand were printed annually. Though not original for their time nor literarily noteworthy, his books met the need of the early American republic for stories and textbooks which were authentically American, produced by American authors, illustrated by American engravers, with American settings and topics relevant to American ways of life.

Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to Samuel, a Congregational minister, and Elizabeth Ely Goodrich, Goodrich was educated at local schools but showed no propensity for study. At the age of fifteen, his parents removed him from the...