James Whitcomb Riley: A Life

By Elizabeth J. Van Allen

..". a thorough biography that should supplant all previous attempts to understand the man." --H-Net Reviews ..". new, thorough and highly readable... " --Indianapolis Star Few literary figures have achieved the fame of James Whitcomb Riley, the most popular poet in America at the end of the 19th century--the height of his career. Legends and rumors either elevate Riley as a hero who gave Hoosiers pride of place, or denigrate him as a drunken author of Victorian doggerel. In this first serious modern biography of Riley, Van Allen sifts facts from fiction to paint the truest portrait of this controversial poet.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253335914
• ISBN13: 9780253335913
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.1"