Burt L Standish

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."

Excerpt: ...a fool of yourself when you failed to break his wrist, after paying twenty-five toadskins to learn the trick. That would have made you the victor." "And it would have made me feel like a contemptible sneak. I have been well satisfied with myself that I did not try the trick. It is a good thing to know, but it should be used on no one but a ruffian." "It's surprising to me how soft you're getting. This Merriwell is dangerous in many directions, and his career would have been stopped short if you had broken his wrist. He has shown that he is a baseball pitcher, but no man can pitch with a broken wrist. He is one of the best freshmen half-backs ever seen at Yale, according to the general acknowledgment. And now he is pulling an oar and coaching the freshmen crew at the same time