Joseph A. Altsheler was an author and newspaperman who wrote more than 40 books based on American history and designed especially for young people. A native of Three Springs, he was educated at Glasgow, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt University. He served on the staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal from 1885 to 1892, then joined the New York World in 1892 as editor of its tri-weekly edition. His books reached peak popularity about 1918, and he died in 1919.