author

Ruel Perley Smith

1869–1937

Adventure, journalism, and early 20th-century boys’ fiction come together in these lively stories. Best remembered for the Rival Campers books, this Maine-born writer also built a substantial career in New York newspapers.

4 Audiobooks

The Rival Campers; Or, The Adventures of Henry Burns

The Rival Campers; Or, The Adventures of Henry Burns

by Ruel Perley Smith

The Rival Campers Afloat; or, The Prize Yacht Viking

The Rival Campers Afloat; or, The Prize Yacht Viking

by Ruel Perley Smith

The Rival Campers Ashore; or, The Mystery of the Mill

The Rival Campers Ashore; or, The Mystery of the Mill

by Ruel Perley Smith

Jack Harvey's Adventures; or, The Rival Campers Among the Oyster Pirates

Jack Harvey's Adventures; or, The Rival Campers Among the Oyster Pirates

by Ruel Perley Smith

About the author

Born in Bangor, Maine, Ruel Perley Smith became known as a novelist and newspaper editor. Reliable biographical sources describe him as best remembered for the Rival Campers series of boys' books, published in the early 1900s.

Smith also worked in journalism in New York and is described as having risen from reporter to Night City Editor of the New York World. That mix of newsroom experience and brisk storytelling helps explain why his fiction often feels energetic and sharply paced.

Today, several of his books remain accessible through Project Gutenberg, which has helped keep his adventure fiction in circulation for modern readers. A clear individual portrait could not be confirmed from the sources reviewed, so no profile image is provided.