Cartoonist Walter Berndt (1899-1979) created Smitty as a hard-working office boy, drawing from the experience of his own youth. Smitty was published from 1922 to 1973, and the character slowly matured from a young teenager to his early twenties. Young Smitty lived with his parents, his younger brother, Herby, and his dog, Scraps. This collection was first published in 1928 by Cupples and Leon.