The Complete Poetical Works of JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY ? ca. 1937 in Greenwood, IN

The Complete Poetical Works of JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY, The Hoosier PoetPreface by Donald Culross Peattie8.50" x 5.75" x 2.00" thick, hardcover, no dust jacket886 pages, Preface, Index of TitlesFrontis portrait of James Whitcomb Riley by John Singer Sargent1937 Edition 1935, Grosset & Dunlap (by arrangement with Bobbs-Merrill)The folksy Hoosier James Whitcomb Riley ([removed phone]) is America's premier poet of the sentimental.The Complete Poetical Works Of JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY brings together more than 1,000 touching, humorous, easy to read poems, many filled with longing for irretrievable childhood innocence, freedom, and joy.Today's readers will find this volume a genuine time capsule into the past, evoking not only the reader's own memories of childhood, but also a simpler and perhaps more innocent and joyous America. The ambitions and expectations expressed by the speakers, narrators, and characters in the poems are humble, the horizons of their world near. One of the secrets of Riley's backward-glancing poems is that his reflections are only partially regretful; the joys of the past are equaled by the child-like joy still present in the adult poet's heart. Dozens of the pieces included here are suitable for reading to and sharing with children.Titles such as The Swimming Hole, The Noble Old Elm, Company Manners, When Mother Combed My Hair, Us Farmers In The Country, My First Spectacles, Blooms In May, Two Sonnets To The June -Bug, The Land Of Used-To-Be, and Our Boyhood Haunts offer a good indication of the book's content.There are numerous nature poems and celebrations of the seasons, summer meadows of "clover to the knee," "August moons, lazy rivers," "the twitter of the bluebird and the wren," and, in one of Riley's most famous, the frost "on the punkin."Despite its overall simplicity, Riley's work comfortably rests within the grander tradition of American literature and makes for visionary reading in its own unique, whimsical manner.Condition - General: This book is bound in a green cloth with gilt spine lettering and floral decoration. Then name "James Whitcomb Riley" is embossed on the front board. No dust jacket. Book shows a little edge wear but otherwise is in very clean and solid condition. Top and bottom of spine and board corners are slightly bumped. The page edges have browned with age. Spine is sound. Frontis photo is intact. Ink inscription on FEP. Condition - Book Interior: Complete, clean, appears to be unmarked. Overall Condition: Very Good. A very nice copy considering its age.PRICE: $12 (for local pickup ? see shipping option below) The Complete Poetical Works of JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY is located in Greenwood, IN and may be examined or picked up at this location. For additional information or to arrange inspection and purchase, email seller. PAYMENT OPTIONS: Cash only for local pickup; PayPal, certified check, or USPS Money Order when shipped. Please allow 7 days for check to clear local bank. LOCAL PICKUP: By prior arrangement. See details above.SHIPPING: Buyer pays $3.99 for delivery to any verified address within the contiguous continental United States. Item ships via USPS Media Mail. Inquire about shipping to other destinations. Please provide complete shipping address.