Oliver Optic

Oliver Optic was the pen name of William Taylor Adams (1822–1897), a Massachusetts schoolteacher who became the most popular American writer of boys' books of his generation. Beginning with The Boat Club in 1855, he produced more than a hundred novels in series such as the Army and Navy, Starry Flag and Great Western, as well as a thousand shorter pieces, and edited Oliver Optic's Magazine for a decade. His stories of enterprising young heroes were attacked by Louisa May Alcott and by librarians as sensational; Three Millions! is one of his rare novels for adults. He also served a term in the Massachusetts legislature.