Joseph Alexander Altsheler was born in 1862 in Three Springs, Kentucky. Altsheler's family immigrated from Germany and operated a store in Three Springs where he was raised above the store. He did not pursue his family's mercantile efforts but instead took up journalism, after spending one year at Vanderbilt University. Altsheler eventually ended up in New York City, and became the editor of the New York World. He wrote serial as well as stand alone works, beginning with the French-Indian War Series and ending with World War I. Altsheler turned to writing in the late 1800s, first publishing magazine stories which were converted to books, but eventually devoted the majority of his literary efforts to books, continuing to write for magazines such as Harper's, Lippincotts, and Munsey's World. His serial works cover the French-Indian War, the American Revolution, the Texan War for Independence, the Civil War, the settlement of the west, and World War I. The stand alone works covered the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the conflict with the Northwestern tribes, the Civil War, settling the west, and two political/journalist works. In all, he wrote nearly fifty books and many short stories for magazines. Altsheler's most famous series is called The Young Trailers. It contains eight books, and was popular with boys and girls from its initial printing in the early 1900s. Joseph Altsheler died in 1919, and is buried with his wife and son in Three Springs.
