Originally published in 1897, Mark the Match Boy; or Richard Hunter's Ward is one of Alger's formulaic juvenile novels, which are best remembered for the "rags-to-riches" theme they championed. In such stories, poor city boys rose in social status by working hard and being honest. In Mark the Match Boy; or Richard Hunter's Ward, Richard Hunter, now a successful and respectable New York businessman, becomes the patron of a poor runaway boy and starts him on the ladder of success.