Ralph Henry Barbour

Ralph Henry Barbour was an American author best known for boys' adventure, school, and sports fiction in the early twentieth century. The Adventure Club Afloat, Left End Edwards, Left Tackle Thayer, Behind the Line, The Turner Twins, and The Lilac Girl show his interest in college life, football, boating, friendship, fair play, and youthful ambition.

For English-language readers, Barbour represents a popular tradition of juvenile fiction built around teamwork, character, and energetic outdoor or athletic plots. His books often treat sport as a setting for loyalty, courage, rivalry, and self-discipline. Readers interested in vintage boys' books, school stories, early football fiction, adventure clubs, boating tales, and classic American juvenile literature will find a representative author.