Charles Lee Sleight

Charles Lee Sleight was an American writer whose best-known book is The Prince of the Pin Elves, originally published in Boston by L. C. Page and Company in 1897. The story blends everyday childhood curiosity with fairy-tale adventure, following a boy named Harry into the secret world of the Pin Elves.

Historical reference sources also identify Sleight as an American clergyman, born on April 4, 1856, in New York. Beyond that, easily confirmed biographical details are scarce, which gives his work an air of mystery as well as old-fashioned charm.

Today, Sleight is remembered mainly through The Prince of the Pin Elves, which has been preserved in modern digital editions and remains available to new readers through public-domain collections. His writing fits comfortably alongside the imaginative children’s fiction of the 1890s, with a playful premise and a warm sense of wonder.