Frank Merriwell's Bravery

Frank Merriwell, the much-loved fictional hero of Street and Smith's "Tip Top Weekly," was first introduced to readers on April 18, 1896. Merriwell was the creation of writer Gilbert Patten and embodied a new type of dime novel hero, one who relied as much upon mental as physical prowess. The Yale-educated Merriwell possessed "a body like Tarzan's and a head like Einstein's," wrote one admiring writer, and thus represented "the perfect union of brain and brawn." His academic and athletic exploits formed the subject of many "Tip Top Weekly" stories, with elements of romance and humor thrown in for good measure.