William George "Gilbert" Patten (1866-1945) wrote the Frank Merriwell novels under the pen name of Burt L. Standish. Amazingly, he produced one a week for over 20 years. A loyal audience bought over 100,000 copies of each title - of which there were ultimately 209 - and he wrote another 75 novels under other pen names. An estimated 500 million copies of his books were sold.
The almost perfect hero, Frank never drank or smoked and was tops at all sports, including baseball, crew, track, and especially football. This early prep school story lays the foundation for many of Frank's subsequent adventures at Yale. In the New York Times Book Review, Peter Lyon remarked that not only was he accomplished in so many fields, but "...he could accomplish all these heroics in the same spring season; nay, if necessary, on the same cloudless Saturday afternoon."